ldpetrillo

I am curious if there are any passengers on the Neptune who were also on the Star WC last year? We had 500 passengers last year so we never had any problems getting seats at the shows, reservations at the restaurants, or seats in the Explorers Lounge. What is the biggest differences with a full ship? 

16 hours ago, Floater69 said:

After all this verbosity, the simple fact is that other cruise lines have dramatically better  bandwidth. Viking has no excuse.

You have to compare ships located in the same geographic area. Other cruise lines have the same problems in the same geographic area. There are dead zones in the middle of the oceans because there is very limited value in locating satellites where no one uses them. I followed the Oceania WC last season and they had the same problem we did on the Star in the same areas. 

Was the naming ceremony “live” or was it a tape of the ceremony? In other words, were all the participants actually on the ship Sunday? 

8 hours ago, JM0115 said:

The comparison will be interesting!  Hope you have a great cruise!

We have been on numerous Princess cruises. Nothing will compare to our WC. Be prepared for lots of kids, noisy casino, lots of drunks and ok food. It would be better to compare it to RC or Carnival. Viking is in its own class. We are doing the Viking from Bergen to New York next summer and doubt it will compare to our WC. 

4 minutes ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 151/163 Viking Homelands - Mariehamn, Åland Islands - Finally negative!

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/05/world-cruise-day-151163-viking.html

 

I am surprised that you are entering Stockholm so early. Going through the Stockholm archipelago was a highlight of our last Baltic cruise. So many beautiful islands with lots of incredible homes. The who’s who of Sweden all seem to have homes out there. 

1 hour ago, GKTV32162 said:

Nope. That's cruise ships. 😉

Wow! Ten days in quarantine on a 14 day cruise. Crazy. On another point, I am amazed that Viking is getting passengers up in the middle of the night to go to the airport. We left the ship in London at 10:30 AM and we were the last off. There were people that had bus rides at 2:30 AM. That is just as bad as a red eye flight. I hope your flight is at a civilized time. Business class was nice but definitely not worth the high cost. 

9 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 136/152 - Tilbury, England - London calling

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/05/world-cruise-day-136152-tilbury-england.html

Did you know Pocahontas is buried across the river? If we were staying on, we would take the ferry over for the day. 
 

As for the Chairman’s visit, what issues did you think he would address? He came on to thank us for sticking with the world cruise. Yes, the internet was spotty at times but is was manageable. I was in the Navy back in the late 60’s and we would go months without hearing from home so I can not complain about the internet. 
 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. 

On 5/5/2022 at 3:50 PM, JM0115 said:

We had a nice “party” today for those attending the wine tastings. We had such a great time on board!

We must have missed something. Every time we tried to sign up for a wine tasting, they were full. Did the tastings only go to the high end rooms? Was this a private group? 

This was a quote from the back of the bus. Evidently the person did not know where the tour was going to or that we would be doing some walking. 

16 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 111/152 - Haifa Day #2 - Caesarea, Jaffe, Tel Aviv - A good day but the other days were better

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/04/world-cruise-day-111152-haifa-day-2.html

“Why are we stopping here?”

1 hour ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

OK, sorry, but I'm afraid I'm a little confused.  JM015, you're on Star right now, and your testing was or is being done on your Ashdod day, where you waited on the ship, off shore, since there was either a crane blocking dock space or the two other cruise ships and the crane taking up docking space.  Is that correct?  

 

Who has the 296 passengers on board - Star?

 

Who is the other poster who responded about being at the dock, tested and then going to the terminal to do immigration procedures?  Is that someone from Insignia or Jade?  With a full ship?

 

And for both cruises, did the testing take a whole day off of your time in Ashdod, or half, or 2/3rds, or what?   And do you know if anybody tested positive by Israeli testers and whether they were put into isolation on the ship or ashore?

 

Thanks. 

We are in Ashdod for two days. All our tours are tomorrow. 

1 hour ago, 2552phxcrzr said:

@IWantToLiveOverTheSea … We’re in Ashdod on Oceania today.  We were required to test everyone 72 hours ahead of arrival on the ship (all negative).  And then again a test this morning in port by the Israeli authorities.  The process actually went smoothly and was quick … but we have only 286 passengers onboard.  Next, while we await the PCR results, we are supposed to go to the terminal for immigration formalities and then return to the ship to await the test results,  encore we are allowed to go off and explore.  That said, a crane is apparently blocking the terminal so they gave us a different berth. We may have to be shuttled to the terminal instead.  Just going with the flow is the best policy on cruises now a days.

At least you were allowed in port. We are anchored out. We are tested every day and have a fully certified laboratory on board. Evidently Israel has a stake in the testing company. 

11 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 104/152 - Safaga (Luxor), Egypt, Karnak Temple and Valley of the Kings - a true death march

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/04/world-cruise-day-104152-safaga-luxor.html

I loved your photos of the security checkpoints. Unfortunately, the Egyptian government does not appreciate the photos. Our guide in bus 3 had a passenger delete a photo he took accidentally of a police tower. He said he could lose his guide license for such photos. 
 

By the way, it was a dry heat. 

7 hours ago, vslparis said:

When we went about 4 years ago it was late in the season and it was still more crowded. You all really were very lucky to experience Petra without a massive amount of tourist. 

Our guide said that Ramadan cut the crowds down as it was jammed the day before. We went to Wadi Rum today and it was as impressive as Petra. Awesome scenery!

On 3/24/2022 at 1:47 AM, ilikeanswers said:

 

I think you may have mixed up countries. Singapore is not a Muslim country, it's government is secular and their executions are not beheadings, they are hangings besides I don't think tourists have much to fear unless they are smuggling drugs and arms, committing murder or piracy or decide to wage a war against the Singapore government😂. 

A teenager from the US was arrested for chewing gum on the subway. He was sentenced to be caned. Singapore is super clean as a result. 

5 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Excuse me for being persistent, but you will be the third person I've asked whether you were fingerprinted as a passenger on a cruise ship making a port call.

So far all I've heard in response were crickets. 

It seems to me that everyone who has replied "Oh, sure, an increasing number of countries are fingerprinting" ignores the fact that Saudi Arabia is fingerprinting port call cruise passengers, not passengers arriving by air nor even passengers ending their cruise in the country.

We are spending four days in Saudi Arabia which might explain the process. Other than MSC which runs a seven day cruise out of Jeddah, we may have been only the second ship to visit. Saudi Arabia is leaping into the 21st century so expect some glitches. The people we have met are awesome. 

2 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 97/152 - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Day 2 - Communication breakdown and the kindness of strangers

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/03/world-cruise-day-97152-jeddah-saudi.html

Great stories. It’s too bad we did not get to Dubai as they have a huge mall with an indoor ski hill. We were also amazed at all the western stores and restaurants. We saw a Chuck E Cheese last night on the way to the desert. We also noticed that people in Jeddah were eating out as much as we do back home. Why cook when there are perfectly good restaurants to go to. 

1 hour ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 90/152 - Nafplion, Greece - I wish spell check would stop correcting this port to "Napoleon" and...port change tomorrow!

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/03/world-cruise-day-90152-nafplion-greece.html

 

 

Your last paragraph has us worried. We have been to several Muslim countries and have followed their rules even though they seem strange and go against our principles. These countries, like Singapore, have very harsh punishment, including beheadings, for breaking their rules. Please be careful. It is difficult to reattach a head. 

I have always considered the coastal scenery in California as the best in the world. However, the coast of Croatia is extremely scenic. Every turn on the coastal road reveals a lagoon with crystal clear water. The villages are all super cute with their ancient buildings and outdoor cafes. It is amazing that Croatia was a war zone 30 years ago. We could see bullet and shrapnel holes on walls across from where we were docked in Dubrovnik. Croatia was a wonderful surprise.  

5 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 83/152 - Venice (Fusina), Italy - McKayla Maroney is not impressed and neither are we

 

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/03/world-cruise-day-83152-venice-fusina.html

Your fight against Covid restrictions is duly noted. As we have learned throughout the cruise, other countries were impacted by the virus and took measures to protect citizens and visitors. Contrary to what you heard at home, Covid is not a hoax and masks, social distancing, and vaccines work. As for Venice, it is beautiful. The buildings, palaces snd canals are amazing. The Covid restrictions are clouding your eye sight. 

50 minutes ago, GKTV32162 said:

The only people that were removed were the folks that tested positive immediately after embarking in Ft. Lauderdale and misrepresented their status - they had recently had COVID.  Everyone else has been isolated until clear and is continuing the cruise.  One passenger with COVID elected to get off in LA due to other health issues that were complicating the COVID situation. Another tested positive right before embarking in LA and joined the cruise later after recovering.

 

My advice is simple.  If you're concerned, cancel.  It is what it is and fretting over it will ruin your trip.  Accept it for what it is, go, and enjoy life, or worry about it and stay home.  If we had chosen the later, we never would have seen the amazing things we have seen so far.  It is a choice.  Make it and live with it.  Stop worrying. It does no good.  Harsh words, I understand, but make a decision and move on.  There's no point in worrying.  We are having a great time.

I believe he was concerned about getting booted off during the cruise and not for getting Covid. We all took a chance on this cruise and so far it has been great. Wearing a mask is not a violation of our freedom nor is it any kind of a burden. A real burden would be living in Ukraine and trying to keep your family safe. Our so called problems are nothing in comparison. 

1 hour ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 73/152 - Palma de Mallorca, Spain - a pearl of a city
 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/03/world-cruise-day-73152-palma-de.html

Gary, you seem to know all the inside info. We were on the last bus back this afternoon and saw a younger woman, probably in her 50’s, being removed from the ship. Four or five officers were with her and her luggage. Any back story here? One less person at the buffet. 

1 hour ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day 73/152 - Palma de Mallorca, Spain - a pearl of a city
 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/03/world-cruise-day-73152-palma-de.html

Gary, you seem to know all the inside info. We were on the last bus back this afternoon and saw a younger woman, probably in her 50’s, being removed from the ship. Four or five officers were with her and her luggage. Any back story here? One less person at the buffet. 

After yesterday’s storm, the weather has turned cool/cold. Had we been on our previous itinerary, we would be in India wearing shorts and sweating profusely. Doing a Med cruise in early March is an iffy proposition. We are having a good time but this is not what we signed up for. 

48 minutes ago, GKTV32162 said:

I'm talking about necessities - not avoid at all costies...

I see where you and others eat all three meals everyday. How do you do it? I walk 90 minutes a day, have a muffin for lunch, and dinner and it is still difficult to keep my weight down. I envy people who can eat all day and not gain weight. Life is not fair.