palermo22

Anni - I should have asked this before: the only decision we will have to make is whether we leave before 9 AM (and get the earlier train - it costs a little more but more time to spend in Schwerin ) or we leave after 9 AM - slightly less expensive but also less time to spend in Schwerin. So the question is: we will take our time taking in the beauty of Schwerin and visit the shops and castle, etc. - once we are off the train - should we allocate a few hours in Schwerin or perhaps as much as four/five hours there? If we take the early train at 9:07 and take the first train back at 15:53 - that's almost six hours there - that maybe excessive for us. I was thinking we would take the 11:07 train (still giving us almost four hours there) - and between 0900 to 1107 - we would tour Rostock. Does that sound like a workable plan?

Hi,

:)The good news is - you have the methodology right but :( the bad news is - the fares have gone up!

The Lander Ticket is now 23€ for the first person and 4€ additional for each person up to four extra. ie 27€ for two people. A single ticket for the local transport before 9am is now 2.10€ pp.

 

Sorry about that.

 

Happy cruising :)

Anni

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Thanks Anni - One last question: have the train times changed?

Hi Annie - I read this link and understand the methodology used to go to Schwerin. I know that if you wait after 9 AM the Lander Ticket is 26 Euros for up to five people and takes you round trip from Warnemunde to/from Schwerin. I would presume the only reason to buy it earlier than 9 is one would be able to take the 9:07 train. So if I am buying it before 9 what are my extra costs (am I just buying the S-bahn ticket separately and if so - how much additional is that? Thanks

Actually I should have taken my time reading your response. If I understand this - if you leave before 9 AM then the only additional fare is 2 Euro pp - so the total expense for two people would be 26 +2 +2 if one wants to catch the 9:07 train. Is that correct? The additional 4 Euros would be for the S-bahn between Warnemunde and Rostock for two people but that portion is included in the Lander ticket for the return?????

Thanks

Hi, I am sorry but you seem to be even more confused now so I will try to explain. :confused:

 

You cannot travel between Warnemünde and Schwerin without a change of train. You must change from the s-bahn to the Regional train, RE, in Rostock Hbf (main station). The Lander ticket becomes valid after 9am on weekdays or 3am on weekends and covers your travel anywhere on the Regional trains and the s-bahn until 3am the next day. If you wish to take the s-bahn from Warnemünde before 9am in order to catch the 9.07 RE from Rostock Hbf to Schwerin then you need to purchase a single ticket for the section between Warnemünde and Rostock Hbf but if you leave Warnemünde later than 9am and catch a later train to Schwerin from Rostock Hbf (eg the 11.07) then the Lander ticket is valid for the whole journey. Your return is covered all the way from Schwerin to Warnemünde by the Lander ticket.

 

The s-bahn is the local train between Warnemünde and Rostock Hbf . All s-bahn trains are red, the only grey trains are the ICE, IC and EC express, long distance trains.

You would use the s-bahn in conjunction with the buses, trams and cross-river ferries if you intend to travel only in the Rostock/Warnemünde area. This is the area covered by the Local Transport ticket which costs 2euro for a single journey (eg.Warnemünde to Rostock City centre by train and tram) or 4.90euro for a day ticket. NB the day ticket is only economical if you intend to do three or more journeys in the one day.

 

You do not need transport to explore Warnemünde itself, everything is within walking distance of the ship

 

Sorry, I had no idea my web site was so confusing but I can't think how to explain the system any other way. If anyone else can explain it better, please help!

 

Happy cruising :)

ANNI

http://www.travelanni.webs.com

Hi Annie - I read this link and understand the methodology used to go to Schwerin. I know that if you wait after 9 AM the Lander Ticket is 26 Euros for up to five people and takes you round trip from Warnemunde to/from Schwerin. I would presume the only reason to buy it earlier than 9 is one would be able to take the 9:07 train. So if I am buying it before 9 what are my extra costs (am I just buying the S-bahn ticket separately and if so - how much additional is that? Thanks

The easiest way is taking a taxi. cost? I am not sure, price depends on distance and time. Maybe 10 -12 dollars?

 

The option (likely not a true option) walk to Slussen but not really suitable since you have luggage.

it is almost 1 km. cost is 3-4 dollars per person.

Just to make sure of your recommendation: are you suggesting that we take the taxi from the Port to Stockholm Central in order to take the Arlanda Express? And that the cost would be around $10 (for the taxi)? Is the whole ordeal (port to Stockholm Center to the airport) fairly fluid?

Thanks for your help

For those on the Sky for the BB&B - 22 day trip - I am in a deluxe veranda and was able to sign up for the excursions beginning at midnight this morning (I am in California).

I know that the Arlanda Express is our best bet from the City Center to the airport. We will be disembarking from Viking Sky. What are our options (with approximate cost) from the Port to the City Center (in order to catch the Arlanda Express)?

I know that the Arlanda Express is our best bet from City Center to Arlanda Airport. Upon disembarking does Viking provide transportation from the port to the City Center? If not, what are our options? Also, would one hour more or less be the time estimate from the port to the city center to the airport?

If you dock at the Jardim da Tabacao it's very easy to do a walking tour on your own. From the port gates you just walk parallel to the port for 5-10 minutes, then you arrive at a big square which leads on to an area with several museums, shops, the elevator, etc. etc. Strike off through the narrow side streets to the right and you are in the Alfama, the medieval old town, where you can walk up to the Castle and to the cathedral.

Other popular attractions such as the monuments at Belem are too far out to walk, you need to catch a tram or taxi, I think.

Thank you - that helps.Is Jardim da tabacao that main port where ships dock?

Looking for a good walking tour where you are met at the port and then do a three/four hour walking tour of Lisbon.

Thanks - that was what I came up with as well. The only reason I asked about bingo is something for my wife to do while I work out in the gym. Apparently there is no bingo so I am sure she'll figure something out to keep busy.

I know you can tip extra for someone special but in general what does Viking deduct each day per person for tipping?

Also, do I gather that since there is no casino (meaning no gambling) that there is no bingo aboard?

Time to put my 2 cents in: we have traveled on Oceano and Princess and Celebrity and have never run into someone saying that I wasn't dressed properly. If I were going to the buffet I would wear nice looking jeans - if I were eating in other venues that called for a little better dress up then I wouldn't wear jeans. If we were on a an excursion and I was waiting to get off the ship I would be wearing my jeans. If it were cool and sunny out I might be out by the pool in jeans or shorts. If I were eating poolside I would probably have jeans - if I were going to dance with my wife after dinner I would not be wearing jeans. Why so much is written about to jeans or not to jeans I find that people have nothing better to do than complain.

I emailed tellus@vikingcruises yesterday evening and was very pleased to have an answer back very quickly this morning. Here is what she said:

 

Thank you for reaching out. I am in receipt of your inquiry below and am happy to assist.

 

Typically, shore excursions are loaded to My Viking Journey around 100 days prior to departure. As you are now well within this time frame, I will need to conduct a bit of research to determine the reason for the delay and when we anticipate the upload to be completed.

 

I will be sure to follow-up with you directly once I successfully retrieve this information. Should you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. I am in the office Sunday through Thursday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Pacific Time.

 

I look forward to corresponding with you again soon!

 

Best regards,

Stretch - it would be much appreciated if you post their response after they research the issue.

We are using ACMS tours to tour Honfleur & Rouen. Very good ratings on tripadvisor and I found there pricing reasonable considering it is France ;)

 

I think Eva Ruttger of "Welcome To Normandy" will come to Le Havre. (She wasn't available for our upcoming cruise - otherwise I would have happily used her again). We used her for the Normandy Beaches and Bayeux Tapestry and she was fabulous. Knows her history.

Hi - thanks for the info - do you have Eva's contact info?

Looking for a few recommendations for a car to pick us up at the port - take us through Normandy and then on the way back go to a few small towns include Honfluer.

Any and all recommendations would be appreciated.

We have an eight hour port visit next April (2017) - is there a visitor center near the port that has various walking maps for in town and around the outlying countryside?

I am early 70s - go to the gym everyday - I am in the same condition as I was when I was 30! I'll out-hustle any between the ages of 30 and 50! We love to dance and are the adventurist types at each port. I think you would feel at home as long as you don't befriend anyone who can't make it up the stairs (not a knock on you if you can't make it up the stairs - just trying to point out - as someone stated above: age is just a number).

I just wanted to get an idea before I began planning excursions. I have lived and traveled all over the world - so doing it ourselves has never been a problem. If however Viking had some good deals on certain ports I would certainly consider those.

We will be on the 22 day cruise next April - Barcelona to Stockholm. Usually when we cruise we do our own excursions because many of the cruise lines almost double the cost of what you can get it for on your own. HOWEVER, a few people have told me that while Viking is still more expensive than do it yourself - their cost is actually reasonable. First time on Viking - so I have to go to the community and ask if this is true. I know they include a free excursion at every port (but most - from what I have seen - are the typical bus around the city or a walking tour that doesn't take a genius to duplicate). Just wondering if anyone out there has matched the cost of excursions from Viking and compared them to the outside?

When traveling out of the US I usually correct that type of problem by editing out the wrong word ('oceans') after the wrong site appears.

This problem has nothing to do with traveling out of the U.S. - I am being thrown to the Canadian site from my home in California. When I put in vikingcruises.com - this is what I get: http://www.vikingcruisescanada.com/

We will be in Barcelona Easter weekend (Sat/Sun - 4/15/17 to 4/16/17) - would most of the activities be shut down on Easter Sunday - in particular: Montserrat Monastery?

I also live in California and I also had this exact same thing happen to me when I originally needed information prior to booking my cruise on the Viking Star. I kept getting routed to the Canadian site, with Canadian prices and Canadian airline options.

 

Finally, I called Viking Ocean Cruises on the telephone and was so pleasantly surprised to talk to a fellow Californian! Viking Ocean Cruises is based in Southern California. Their representative on the phone provided me with a special URL to type in to my web browser to force it to go to the U.S. version of their site. Unfortunately, I've forgotten exactly what that special URL was.

 

So, my advice is definitely to call Viking Ocean Cruises on the phone, and I'm sure they can give you the correct address to type in to your browser.

They are telling me it has to do with their internet provider. Mine is Frontier Communications. By chance, are you also using Frontier? Frontier bought out much of California from Verizon a few months back.

I also live in California and I also had this exact same thing happen to me when I originally needed information prior to booking my cruise on the Viking Star. I kept getting routed to the Canadian site, with Canadian prices and Canadian airline options.

 

Finally, I called Viking Ocean Cruises on the telephone and was so pleasantly surprised to talk to a fellow Californian! Viking Ocean Cruises is based in Southern California. Their representative on the phone provided me with a special URL to type in to my web browser to force it to go to the U.S. version of their site. Unfortunately, I've forgotten exactly what that special URL was.

 

So, my advice is definitely to call Viking Ocean Cruises on the phone, and I'm sure they can give you the correct address to type in to your browser.

Great help - calling now - thanks

We will be in Barcelona Easter weekend (Sat/Sun - 4/15/17 to 4/16/17) - would most of the activities be shut down on Easter Sunday - in particular: Montserrat Monastery?