LostFan#1

Thanks, Clay.

Thank you!

Someone mentioned tonic water above. If I wanted sparkling water (i.e. Perrier) stocked, would I request tonic water? Perrier by name? We're in a DV, so our minibar does not include alcohol (in case Perrier is considered "premium"). Thank you!

Wishing you best of luck seeing the Northern Lights. We're on the same cruise, Feb. 29.

Thank you, everyone! I have Air Plus on an upcoming trip, so I spoke to the A.P. rep and asked about premium economy on the flight from Raleigh/Durham to Madrid (pre-extension for the Duoro River cruise) and Porto, Portugal, back to RDU. She also said no PE was available. I can, indeed, book PE seats on an American Airlines flight on that routing. American does mention that PE is guaranteed fonly or the transatlantic portion. Booking that flight looks like that's what I'll be doing, instead of hoping Viking might open some PE seats. Thanks again for everyone's input.

I know this is the ocean forum, but we are taking the Duoro River cruise in September. And my question concerns air availability. I have called Viking twice now, hoping to receive a different answer, but both times, I've been told premium economy is unavailable on that itinerary (maybe just our sail date, I don't know). Only economy or business. Is that common (this is only our 4th Viking booking)? The rep today said I could book economy, and when it's ticketed, try to upgrade to premium economy. I don't want to risk that. I'm not opposed to booking our own airfare. Rather. I'm curious whether this is a common occurrence. Our first Viking river, we flew economy. Second one, business. Third one, premium economy. All with Viking Air. Thanks for shedding any light.

And my OBC was tapped for the excursions immediately. Thanks again, everyone.

I did just find this on my "Payments" page - Vouchers and Shipboard Credits will be automatically applied to your purchases of excursions, beverage packages, and prepaid gratuities.

Thanks, everyone!

Just double checking here - at 3pm (EST) today< I am able to sign up for excursions. I know to have a credit card handy, super fast handy. But I'm double-checking here to make sure OBC is used first, and it's used automatically (as opposed to my selecting to use it). Thanks in advance!

We saw mosquitos, and fellow travelers were bitten, in the Amazon and at Iguazu Falls. We traveled Nov. 19 of this year. We had treated our clothing with Permethrin spray and used Deet wipes on exposed skin and were not bitten.

We have booked a hotel one night (Nov. 19) pre-tour at the Quality Hotel, too. A reputable source on TripAdvisor posted he has used Uber frequently in Manaus. From North Carolina, I put in a "dummy" request on my Uber app for a trip from the Manaus airport to the hotel. The cost: between $6-8, depending on which car I wanted. Six US dollars! I verified that cost with a private message to the man who uses Uber when he visits Manaus. He consulted his Uber history and verified that amazingly-low cost! As the OP noted, though, you'll need cell service, or use your Uber app while still on wifi in the airport.

Thank you - excellent info., just what I needed.

Has anyone paid for their optional excursions with OBC? Does that add extra time to the book & pay quickly scenario?

Thank you for the timetable, Nonna. Once the owner's suite can choose their excursions, I presume descriptions for all excursions will be available? It would help enormously to know what is offered well before I need to choose and pay as quickly as possible.

Thank you, Janet! I appreciate your voice of encouragement.

Has anyone taken the Flam Railway in winter? We will be on the Northern Lights cruise late Feb. DH loves trains. The website says the railway runs year-round, but all I have read about on these couple of threads is from those who've taken the train in summer. Thanks, Debbie

It definitely will be. We were on the Osiris, too. I highly recommend both the Jerusalem and Jordan extensions. Debbie

Thank you, MV! We just finished an amazing Egypt river cruise with Viking and are excited to experience Viking Ocean.

Thank you for your review. We're taking this cruise in Feb., hoping for Northern Lts sightings since we missed them during our 10-day trip to Iceland last September. This is our first Ocean cruise with Viking, so I also appreciated the dining options information.

Thanks for clearing that up, Peregrina, for others new to Viking booking policies. I must have tapped into a compassionate agent this am! We could pay for the cruise in 2 weeks, of course, but am happy for some interest to accrue in the next 4 months. Debbie

We have a late Feb. 2024 booking on the Northern Lights cruise and was shocked to realize our final payment would be due barely 3 weeks after making the initial deposit. Thank you to those who have posted here that those with existing and paid-in-full bookings could get final payment date extended. So, I signed onto the Live Chat this morning, and within five minutes, the due date was extended 4 1/2 months. Thank you to all who contribute to this forum!

Haha, yes, you did, but I needed it! Thank you for directing me to the "Viking Hints" re-start page and suggesting other topics to follow for Viking-specific info. Debbie

Wow, Peregrina, thank you for 1) noticing I thanked you for a post and 2) aiming to rectify possible incorrect info. I am working my way through the 70+ pp of this thread since we haven't sailed Viking Ocean before. I figured some information would have changed from 2017 to now, so thank you for jump starting that for me. I have also found your posts extremely helpful for the Pharaohs and Pyramids Viking river cruise we're taking in May (you specifically helped me realize our layover time in Toronto before returning to the US was woefully short to get through customs). You're a credit to Cruise Critic and such a help to the rest of us, Debbie

Thank you for all this - I have been reading through multiple Viking threads (first time on Viking Ocean) and roll calls to add to my list of what to pack and expect. I have certainly been made aware of the unpredictable nature of this cruise, which is helpful. Of course, I know Viking can't guarantee Northern Lts, specific ports, and smooth sailing, but we will determine to have a great cruise regardless.