L11

Thanks for the update @Cruising Julsand @donswife. We board on 12/4 and we were hoping The Catch would be open. That sea bass looks to die for!

I really REALLY hope you are correct and that Princess has learned from their mistakes. That having been said, I am still not going to download the new app right away, especially not before our 12/4 cruise. All new apps have bugs (my DH calls them "undocumented features"). ALL of them. Even Apple's initial release of IOS 17 had a few minor bugs in its first version as I understand it. I would like to think the bugs in the new app will be small and will be fixed quickly. We'll see. Personally, I will wait a while and see what happens since it appears we have until February. Keep your fingers crossed for a smooth release.

I absolutely will not be downloading the new app before our 12/4 cruise. I had to threaten my husband with grave consequences if he tries to do so. My DH is that guy who downloads updates to anything the second they are available, often experiencing a good deal of frustration when the latest and greatest version still needs some bugs worked out. In this case, it seems like a particularly bad idea to immediately switch to the new app just before a cruise given the numerous problems reported with the Medallion app. We have been lucky and our problems with the Medallion app have been pretty minor so far. If it ain't broke (too badly)' don't fix it. We will watch to see what happens and will happily enjoy our cruise using the old app. Always assuming of course that my DH doesn't give in to the lure of the new app. Aaarrrggghh.

Your DW is quite right to be concerned. That is exactly what happened to us. We will book a Reserve Class mini suite now but that is about the only other class I can now get my DH to book because he won't sail without the Reserve Class dining. Even then, he misses the pampering he gets at the suite breakfasts and the added space of a suite. Added to all of that, as far as I know, there are no mini suites with an aft view so the only time we book one is when there are no aft facing suites on our preferred decks. SO very much a first world problem. Bottom line, you are in serious danger of uping your cruise game on a permanent basis if you go with any of the the aft facing suites. They are seriously awesome as you can see from the pictures that @Ken the cruiserposted. Since you already like the aft view and wake noise, you will love them but consider yourself warned...

Thanks so much!

Just ran across this wonderful trip report. May the rest of your trip be just as terrific as the first part. Quick question if I may (that has little to do with your trip, at least not directly). In a couple of your photos, including embarkation, you are wearing a great guitar themed shirt that my husband would love to steal off your body (no, he isn't a pervert or...maybe... you never know...but I digress). Could you tell me where you found your shirt so I can see about ordering one for my DH before our upcoming cruise in 3 weeks? Thanks in advance and enjoy the rest of your time on board!

I had the same question. Since we sail on 12/3, I went ahead and contacted Princess. They told me the the reservation would be automatically moved over to Catch. Now, whether or not that actually happens...who knows? I intend to check once I get on board. Wish me luck!

We are on the Discovery Princess to Hawai'i in December and would also like to know if they still have the ukulele and hula programs and if so the names of the ambassadors. We love these programs and enjoy bringing our own ukuleles to strum along. Thank you so much for your excellent live report!

We currently have an ME mini suite, a casino comp. Conventional wisdom seems to be that upgrade offers are extended for 4 categories above your assigned category. We seem to have beaten the odds on this one. We have been offered to upgrade to: a forward facing Club class mini suite, a regular club class mini suite, a premium suite, an aft facing vista suite, a regular vista suite, a penthouse suite and a sky suite (forgive me if those are not in order, but there are 7). I placed a total of 6 bids. I passed on the sky suite since the starting bit was $6130 per person--ouch. Not all of those categories are currently available for my sailing but we will see what happens. Maybe I got such a wide range of offers because of my casino status? Only princess knows for sure I guess. I will be happy with whatever I get, if anything. We sail in around 55 days so I probably won't know anything for a few weeks.

I have the same problem as BarBug. No indication on the casino rate booking as to how to add Plus. I will be booking shortly. Unless anyone has any better idea, I will either do the booking by phone (braving what will probably be a long wait) or call just to add Plus (same long wait). Sigh.

Another vote for leggings here. I like to wear them occasionally to the MDR on all my cruises. As other posters have said, they can be dressed up with a nice tunic, jewelry and even a scarf. If you get a nice thick pair that fits (yes @hunt182644they DO come in sizes), you can disguise any "bumpy bits" quite nicely. Many of them now come with pockets (yay!). They are a godsend for long plane rides! Linda

Those pistachio buns are the BEST. I found out about them on this forum. DH, who loves pistachios, was beyond thrilled. Sometimes spontaneity needs just a little nudge since I am not a wander-around-in-the-morning type as a rule. For these pistachio buns, I will get up early. Linda

You shouldn't be blasted for having an opinion about Viking's processes. Especially the ones regarding reservations for shore excursions and restaurant reservations. It is definitely stressful hovering over the keyboard at your appointed hour to try to get the excursion you really want no matter what category of cabin you have. I do understand their metric but that doesn't mean it isn't sometimes stressful to the consumer. Whatever happens, go and enjoy your cruise! Linda

OMG, that is so true. My DH, heaven love him, is absolutely addicted to his GPS. He has not one but 2 of them in his car and uses them to go everywhere. I believe in my heart that, if they both went out, he would have trouble finding the grocery store in our own neighborhood. And try taking away a kid's cellphone (or in some cases no so much a kid). You might as well amputate their arm. I am all for the benefits that technology has brought us but it has brought an uncomfortable amount of interpersonal alienation too. That was one of the things I used to like about cruising -- the chance to get away from all that and reconnect on a more personal level. Now, not so much. Ok, let me pull myself out of that wallow in nostalgia before I contribute to the dreaded thread drift. Carry on with our discussion about spontaneity. Linda

Hi, OnTheJourney. I certainly cannot argue the point that everyone has their own perspective as to what constitutes a good or "better" cruise experience. In my personal opinion, Viking provides a much superior (not perfect) product for a price I am willing to pay. I support everyone's right to make their own decisions regarding their own cruising dollar based on the pros and cons of each cruise line. In balance though, I think Viking gives the best value for my money (though they are on the pricy side) after factoring in a lot of intangibles, most notably customer service on and off the ship. I could talk you ear off on that subject, especially after my 3+ hour hold time recently with Princess and a similar occurrence with X. I have had only excellent (and timely) interactions with Viking so far, both on and off the ship. Again, my experience. YMMV. Anyway, wherever and with whomever you chose to cruise, enjoy! (By the way, when we booked our upcoming cruise we were definitely asked about insurance - it was not automatically added) Linda

Try this long thread for lots of info about Viking Ocean that will help you get started. It starts out pre pause but continues until pretty recently. Most of the information is still relevant. For some reason the link to this thread that I found takes you to page 69 ( sorry about that--I am not the most technical savvy person on the boards). However, despite being long and repetitive in some parts, it is a GREAT resource to start to learn about all things Viking Ocean. It, along with the very kind and helpful feedback of the folks on here helped me become familiar with many of Vikings quirks before our 18 day Panama cruise last year. We had such a great experience that we will be on Viking Jupiter for 40 days beginning this February from Santiago Chile to Barcelona Spain. You will love Viking. No comparison to the other lines you have sailed. We have sailed all of them. You have definitely upped your standards. Welcome to the Viking family! Linda

I am truly of 2 minds on this one. These days, I tend to be the over planner with lists for everything I want to be sure not to miss. For example, my husband loves onion rings. In my research on these boards, I found that Viking had onion rings by the pool grill. Happy husband. I have learned so many little (and big) things about cruising and the ports of call that I never would have even thought to ask about by doing my research ahead of time. There is, however, a lot to be said about the joy of serendipitous discovery. When I was young and untravelled in the 1980s, my husband and I took our very first cruise out of Barbados on the now defunct Exploration Cruise Lines Starship, a very small ship for very small ports. I was so 'green' that it never occurred to me to put an extra set of clothing or much else essential (other than medication thankfully) into my carry on. Well, you guessed it. Our luggage never made it out of Miami. It joined us again in Miami at the end of the cruise (thanks Eastern Airlines). We were forced to cope the best we could for the entire cruise, buying a few pieces of clothing (that didn't fit) in the hotel gift shop along with toothbrushes and toothpaste, borrowing clothes from fellow passengers, whom we got to know very well, very quickly and scavenging in the tiny gift shop on the ship (think size small bikini on size large body with a men's size XL t shirt to cover it all up). Our formal night clothes, in the times when formal meant truly formal, was a borrowed suit for my husband and a handmade caftan I had purchased during the cruise on the island of Bequia in the Caribbean (as I said, very tiny ship with uncommon ports of call). Bottom line, no amount of planning could have prepared us for that cruise even if it had not been in the days before the internet and Cruise Critic yet, hands down, it was my favorite cruise EVER. Oh, to put the icing on the cake for that trip, 3 days before the end of the cruise we all got notice that Exploration had declared bankruptcy and that everyone including the crew would be disembarking in Barbados. The crew kind of declared an open bar and we had a heck of a send off for them! Youth was a wonderful thing. Hope I never lose that youthful spark entirely! Lesson of the day--do as as much planning as you want but be prepared to roll with the punches and to enjoy the ride wherever it takes you. Linda

Just to clarify my response above, I did NOT have Medallion functionality just by logging in to my browser as I described. All I was able to do was internet surf, check email, etc. For the Medallion stuff, I used my iPhone. If you have an Android phone, you can get the Medallion app on that. Mtnesterz has given you good advise if you want the Medallion app on your Kindle. Me, my needs are basic. The phone was easy and enough for me.

I remember, in the days before Covid, regularly coming home with a nasty long lasting cough after cruising. It was regularly mentioned on these Boards. My husband and I just called it "cruise cough". Whatever it was, the conditions that caused it are still there after Covid so I am not really surprised to hear you came home with it (though I am really sorry to hear it--whatever you call it, it is miserable). Anyway, thanks for your wonderful reporting. I have been following avidly. I can relate to the tight clothes. We are getting ready to leave for a long cruise and I am searching for the loosest stuff in my closet, knowing it won't be loose when I get back! Linda

Outerdog's comments mirror my onboard user experience pretty much exactly (though I have no clue what he is talking about on a technical level). I do not usually travel with a computer, just my Kindle Fire. I have used it onboard as recently as November to check and answer email, download books, surf the net etc., always depending on speed, which can be pretty slow depending on the ship , time of day, number of users and sometimes I think on the flip of a coin. I don't recall the precise procedure but when you open your browser, you are prompted to give the info you need to get connected. Pretty simple. I do not know if your Windows 8 computer is compatible or not. I do know you can upgrade it to Windows version 11 fairly easily (though you may have to upgrade first to version 10 then go to 11 from there-I am sure someone more technically inclined can give better advice on this). Good luck!

Not a good idea to bring your own toilet paper. The ship uses a one ply marine grade toilet paper not for cost cutting reasons but because it is compatible with the ship's very finicky septic system. The cushy toilet paper you are used to on shore will very likely clog the system making for an unpleasant situation for your cabin and maybe even neighboring cabins. A reality of life at sea I am afraid.

At least their attempt at Salzberg Khockerl looked like a reasonable facsimile of food (though obviously not what it was supposed to be). I give you Celebrity's attempt at an English trifle, which I am not sure is actually edible:

FWIW, I also tried to access shore excursions on our upcoming February/March Chilean Fjords cruise at midnight PST, just in case. No luck. They were available promptly at noon PST, just as advertised. Last year, I was able to book at midnight. Maybe they have fixed that loophole? Your guess is as good as mine.

Thank you, Crew News! Linda

You're quoting Bob Dylan again. Love it. Thanks for your writings and pictures! I especially loved the sunset in San Diego. I look forward to your next GSJ. Linda