LostFan#1

7 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

There is Perrier onboard

Thanks, Clay. 

7 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

You can get a carafe of sparkling water every day along with the still water. I asked in multiple places for mineral water, happy to pay for it, but they could never find any on the Star.

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!

On 1/6/2024 at 12:28 PM, Shaporama said:

Thanks for posting!  We are off to Norway in 2 weeks (Viking Venus - Search for the Northern Lights).  We are looking forward to spending several days in Tromso (some call it "the Paris of the North") and also chose to book our pre-cruise activities in Bergen rather than Oslo based on its scenic reputation and also its proximity to the fjords.

 

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.

29 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

Yes.  For example, our TA always gives us the maximum credit Viking allows per cruise, depending on the number of days.  And she makes sure it is applied to our account before excursions open for booking.  Viking them applies those credits first—you don’t have a choice.  Whatever credits you have available get applied.  Then you pay for the rest.  It doesn’t take any extra time that I’ve ever seen.

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!

11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Debbie, give up. Stick with information submitted after the "Restart" in 2021. (In other words, start here on page 45, post 1115.)

 

• First, it is overwhelming to start with page one.
• Second, a lot has changed since Viking launched Oceans in 2015. Reading the old stuff is just plain confusing.
• Third, what is most important is current information. Circle back later if you are interested in the history.

 

Also,to fill in gaps, read the most current threads on the following topics; the information is fresher and reflects the reality of cruising in the post-pandemic:

• drinks package (even if you don't drink or aren't considering it)
• laundry
• tipping
• anything that pertains to your next Viking Ocean cruise

 

BTW, some of what you read in this forum applies to how things work on the River cruises. There are certain things that are the same whether you are on an ocean-liner, an expedition ship or a riverboat.

 

 

 

LOL. Right. If I remember correctly, I beat you over the head on that issue. 😁

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

5 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

@LostFan#1, because  you "reacted" to this old post (and I thank you), please note that the out of cabin time has changed. I believe that it is now 7am. Hopefully, someone who has cruised recently can confirm this for us.

 

Some (a lot?) of the pre-pandemic information has changed. Anything posted before May, 2021 should be confirmed. For example:

 

And the Pool Grill is also available, although I don't know what time it opens and it closes around 3pm. (I like the Viking burger).

 

 

Living Room Bar switches from Continental Breakfast to sandwiches and cookies around 11:30am and continues to serve them throughout the afternoon. Don't know what time they stop.

 

 

Yes, it works.

 

 

The clothes-string is hopeless. Everything sags to the center and then doesn't dry because of lack of air circulation. I still bring a few clothespins put have found that I prefer hooks and hangers.

 

Magnets don't work in the bathroom but suction cups work just great on the glass of the shower enclosure. I just tried out these hooks on our last trip. They work and are smaller and easier to pack than my first attempt at hooks. No problems with them jumping of the glass or sliding down. Test them all before you go; I found a dud in my batch.

 

HangerSpace Suction Cup Hooks, 2.5 Inches Clear PVC Suction Cups with Metal Hooks 7 LB Heavy Duty Removable Large Suction Cups for Kitchen Bathroom Shower Wall Window Glass Door - 8 Packs

 

Finally, magnets work best on the party walls of the cabin.

 

I like these because they are small but strong:

DIYMAG Strong Neodymium Magnetic Hooks, 50lbs Heavy Duty Rare Earth Magnets with Hook, Strong Corrosion Protection Facilitate Hook for Cruise, Home, Kitchen, Workplace, Office and Garage-Pack of 6

 

 

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

5 hours ago, azdrydock said:

It's going to be cold

You may or may not miss multiple ports

you may or may not see the northern lights

You may or may not experience very rough seas

 

 I would suggest going through the past and present roll calls to see to how every cruise was different. 

 

The biggest mistake people make is not bringing appropriate clothing. Insulated waterproof boots are a must. Viking supplied spikes when necessary. Chemical hand warmers are good. If you are going to do the husky or snowmobile excursions goggles will help. 

 

The ship and food is no different than any other Viking Cruise. We found the room and public area temperature very good.  If this is your first Viking Cruise browse other posts about Viking. All Viking ships are the same. Other than the blue nose ceremony all of the activities are the same.

 

Most important is have a positive attitude. 

 

 

 

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.