Parsley Cruises

On ‎1‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 2:21 PM, Jim Avery said:

I prefer Viking's way compared to many other lines.  Cunard, for example, have certain areas of the ship reserved only for the upper accommodations.  On Viking the entire ship is open to all.  

Believe you me, that is a pain in the neck!  It feels that there is a constant 'invasion' of privacy when people from the lower grades push their way into the Grills.  I've seen people having tantrums at not being allowed into a Grills restaurant, and I've also seen people pushing their way onto the Grills deck (especially when there are nibbles and snacks being brought around) who have absolutely no right to be there.  As I said, it's a pain in the neck, and we simply don't do that any more.  

On Cunard, the ship/cabin cards give away several things - grade in the loyalty thing, drinks package, and whether or not the passenger is Grills or Britannia (and muster station).

Anyway, we much prefer VO.

On ‎11‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 2:32 AM, gretschwhtfalcon said:

Based on one's accommodation level?  Really?  Somehow doesn't seem fair. 

Oh yes it is!!!  By opting for a more expensive accommodation people should (and rightly so) have at last some perks.

One perk though that is a bit 'quaint' - the availability of the suite before other grades ……. and then you get booked on a flight to the embarkation port which means that you arrive after that perk has vanished into thin air!

But, yes oh yes, those who opt for the more costly accommodation should be accorded every right (and people in cheaper cabins should stop whining about it) to book not only their excursions earlier and but also their alternative dining.

VO handle this beautifully.  IMHO - if people want those perks, simply delay making the cruise reservation and save up the funds until you they can afford the more costly accommodation.  Simples.  

17 hours ago, JCBAY4 said:

CAUTION!  If you book with Viking, you will lose money  If you are not 100% certain of your plans, $100 PER PERSON to be specific.  To start with, I had to put down a $1000.00 deposit, pretty steep for a cruise.  When I asked the csa about cancellation, he informed me of a $100 fee.  Possibly he said “per person” but I seriously doubt it as I am meticulous in my planning.  Also, I find their itinerary very restrictive.  To extend a stay pre or post cruise, they gouge you for $100 PP.   these amounts may seem insignificant on a $7,000 vacation but It’s the principle.  I will never book with Viking again.  I will not say they aren’t a nice cruise line but be aware when you book.

Grow up and stop whining.  No business is a charity - and you should have read the t&cs before you started paying out money which you possibly can't afford to get the most out of.

I certainly wouldn't have paid out money unless I was sure of everything.  So, I have booked (and re booked on future cruises) with VO, and I have absolutely nothing to complain about.  If you can't afford a paltry $100.00 then perhaps cruising isn't for you?

Ok, I realise nobody on this planet can be absolutely certain about their future circumstances (especially healthwise), and if you have had to cancel that's never nice.  But it's best to be reserved and circumspect about such situations.  

Believe you me, there are some cruise lines which are much worse than the VO policy, you simply have to be thorough before you even start making reservations.  

The best thing is to quietly learn from your experience; if one learns from 'life', then nothing is ever 'lost'.

Hi Peasmith,,

I think you disembarked in Venice as we embarked - and our cruise was superb.

Having spent quite a bit of time 'up north' I would heartily and sincerely recommend (however I am a bit unsure of your itinerary at the moment) a trip to Mountain Warehouse in the next couple of months and take advantage of their sales of 'ski and cold weather stuff'. 

We usually take ski socks, and then it's cold weather/ski type long johns and vests with long sleeves from MW, ski trousers and then just a fleece top (preferably with a tallish neck) and a ski jacket or cold weather jacket.  Our jackets from MW are guaranteed down to -40c.  Then it's just a case of getting a POLAR BUFF (extremely versatile and useful), a fleece hat and some gloves.  

As we are both into photography, we have thermal gloves which have flip-tops on some of the fingers, and then we get photographic type silk undergloves (allowing us to control the screens both on our cameras and mobile phones/watches etc). 

Have a great cruise - and remember the old saying 'no such thing as cold weather, just wrong clothing'.

January is the best time to go, with maybe February as next best.

There was no detectable current in any pool I used on our VO cruise in 2018 (Viking Sun).  Maybe it's available on request? 

For us, age is simply a number consisting of two digits.

We think we are young for our age, adventurous and slightly adventurous.  We don't like to think of ourselves as being stuck in a rut, and generally speaking we don't judge people by appearances.  

However, having said that, on our recent VO cruise, the vast majority of passengers were from the USA, and the tiny minority comprised people from the UK, Canada and Australia. 

We're sold on VO.  

I was referring to a situation where it can be proved that the cruise line knew about a port cancellation before embarkation, some of the passengers could prove this, but the cruise line didn't actually admit to the cancelled port until after departure.  This was not VO.

Many passengers were quite angry.

Other cruise lines do this too.  I've known cruise lines to cancel a port of call before they even leave the initial embarkation port.  Ok, you've missed St T, but (maybe I'm a bit blasé about it, sorry), but you haven't missed much.

Our luggage tags arrived with our pre-cruise pack.  Sorry I can't help with this one, but if you simply create a label which states your stateroom number then surely that's got to be a move in the right direction.  Additionally, if you also mention the situation to the crew who meet you at the airport as you prepare to hand over your luggage and head for embarkation, they should be able to sort something out?

My previous experiences with other cruise lines (simply because this didn't arise for us on a VO cruise) was that people arriving at the port/airport ready for embarkation who didn't have ship luggage tags were taken care of as they prepared to hand over luggage ready for ship embarkation and checkin.

No thanks.

I'd opt for deck 6 any day.  I reckon that deck 8 would be prone to more footfall than deck 6.  

I can remember having advice from VO about packing just before out last VO cruise - and we completely ignored it and continued as per normal with packing.  

The advice was quite different to how we usually pack for a trip, and as our method is tried and tested and more than satisfactory, we were quite unwilling to experiment and cause ourselves extra work and worry.

Ok, if you are travelling to the north of Norway or Iceland in the early part of the year, here is a rough outline of what may be needed (bearing in mind that we have been there before in the early part of the year, both flying and cruising).

Layers - plenty of base layers, you can't beat it.  

Try and get shoes (preferably boots) with waterproof soles, and ski socks should be fine, just one layer on the feet.

Fleece type hat,

Buff

Good waterproof gloves, and maybe possibly inner gloves (silk) if you can.  If you are seriously into photography, then gloves which have flip-up finger tips are great.  If you are truly serious about photography, then possibly consider getting some narrow elastic and 'tie' the gloves together, and thread them through your jacket sleeves - saves time when you are trying to get a special shot and you don't lose your gloves then.

Ski type jacket, but try and get one which is sort of hip-length and has a hood.

As they say in Iceland - no such thing as cold weather, simply wrong clothing.  If you are in the UK, try and get to Mountain Warehouse.

Good luck.

We are not foodies - we prefer to spend our time differently.  Just can't get excited about 'trendy' food, which is what we perceive CT to be. 

Food is simply fuel, but simple food superbly cooked - that's fine by us.  I think we may try it once, but 5 minutes will be enough to decide if we like it or not.  There's always an alternative.

We've had gussied-up, fiddled-with food - and we are done with all that.  The main restaurant with the occasional visit to Manfredi's is fine for us - and if we simply can't be bothered then it will be a visit to the World Café.

We've looked at the sample menus for CT, and can't find an item in each course that would be acceptable.  Do VO offer alternatives 'on the night'?  

Sometimes we've got as far as maybe half of the items on a CT sample menu being ok - but I suppose we could always duck out and head upstairs to the World Café if it didn't work out.

We are not big fans of spicy food, fish is a 'no go' area - so sometimes once we've deleted those items, and then deleted the 'weird and wonderful' items we're left with not much to eat.  

Comments/advice welcome!  Season's greetings.🎅

8 hours ago, bwc318 said:

I am annoyed that Viking is requiring final payment one year before your cruise.  How can they get away with that?  I guess if people pay it, they will continue to do it. 

Personally, it's up to you - if getting a specific stateroom number or location is vital, then booking early is up to you.

Then, it's down to how you book - did you book direct or through a ta?  If you booked direct, was it onboard ship, online or by phone?  

When I make a booking, I always ascertain the date of the final payment date before things get too involved - and that way I know the location of the stateroom, and I know my final payment date.  It seems a very obvious, orderly and simple thing to do at the very beginning, but then I always only ever plan to win.

So, don't get annoyed - learn from your experience and plan to win.  There's no point moaning about something if you have contributed to the situation from the outset.

24 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

I love talking to everyone and that is what makes a cruise for me.  I felt rather sad for this lady but she did make me laugh.  

I have made several cunning plans for our New Year cruise!  Turnips did not feature on Viking previously  - perhaps I should complain.

Cunning plans are brilliant - some of ours in the past have been epic!  Does Darling know?

22 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Hi, speaking personally I have never been on a bad cruise or had a bad holiday.  I think it's a mind set,  Some are only happy when they can find something to whinge about.  It is our fellow cruisers that have been the highlight on all of our cruises.    On our recent Scenic cruise we met such great, funny, well travelled people.  Many were from Canada.  We laughed together about our minor worries and were thankful we had so little to complain about compared with the major woes of the world.  

I would also say that I would not comment on a cruise line I have never been on.  

I have heard many great comments about Seabourn but have not tried it (yet).

We will certainly enjoy our Viking New Year cruise and look forward to meeting everyone onboard.  Last year one unhappy person, who we met in the spa several times, had been given a more or less free cruise because of major problems previously (engine breakdown) but still couldn't find anything pleasant to say about anything.  She didnt like the size of the cabins and when I said I was perfectly happy in ours, she asked what size my house was at home, since she apparently lived in a mansion with several acres somewhere in the mid west of the USA and didnt like being confined on a ship,  That really made me laugh.  

I can see where you are coming from - and I can see your point.  However, I've learned to take what other passengers say with a pinch of salt (mostly) when people allege they live in a mansion it simply doesn't cut any cake with us.  

That sort of thing is about as palatable as one of Baldrick's turnips.  

On ‎2‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 12:20 AM, BUgrad said:

We have travelled quite frequently on Crystal and less so on Seabourn. We loved them. Did not like Silversea or RCCL. We generally like to explore on our own or with small groups that let you linger when you find a spot you like. Just wondering what the excursion experience is like? I do not want to be herded like on RCCL. What is the caliber of food and service? We live in a suburb of NYC and are spoiled by all the culinary offerings. Are there onboard lectures?

 

Would appreciate feedback from others who have travelled on luxury lines.

We've done quite a few cruises, but never ever on RCCL.  On our recent VO cruise, we found that the tour guides were extremely knowledgeable, and willing/able to be flexible in how the tour time was spent.  We didn't feel at all 'herded' - that's something we don't like.  

The calibre of the food and service was top notch - best cruise ever.  Yes, there are onboard lectures - but we don't usually go to them, and we were simply too busy anyway.

On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 10:16 PM, kkmiausa said:

That was not what my post meant. I am sure you feel it was quality but what is your comparison? It is like comparing hotels some of us prefer Ritz Carlton while others are fine with Marriott. 

For us companies providing services get just one chance to make a good impression - we've stayed in a Ritz Carlton just once (selected by a cruise line as a pre-cruise overnight), and that was enough - never again.

As far as feeling sure that what you call a top-end cruise line will guaranteed provide a really good service - I wouldn't bank on it!

On our last VO cruise, we were so busy we really didn't have time to indulge - and only managed a very brief visit to afternoon tea!  I believe I did spy some macarons, but got involved in a chat with some other passengers, and never got around to the macarons.

I can't clearly remember though, on a cruise with X that in Luminae some truly fabulous blackcurrant (cassis) flavoured macarons were among the treats offered at the end of dinner on a formal evening, and they were so fantastic I can still fondly remember the experience.

Book another holiday - preferably a cruise.

We didn't notice any noise from neighbours - it depends on the people.  You might however on a 'warm weather' cruise experience some noise from people next door on their balconies.

On ‎11‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 9:26 PM, Dauntless said:

 

Extra tight shorts, clothes that looked like they had been thrown in the suitcase and it took a month tho get to the ship or things that look like they were bought several sizes ago, in either direction will not be the things you will see in 3 dining venues on Viking, though some people like to see if they can stretch the rules, and these are the only places on the ship where Country Club Casual is 'required'.  I have no problem with the ships request for dressing.  Would not like to be on a cruise where 'formal' dress required but his is a vacation and that's about doing things a little differently than at home.

Well, we've been on a ship where formal was supposed to be required, it was published in several languages in the daily paper, and on the notices outside the dining venues.  Despite this, we've seen people dress like slobs for evening activities - including dining, going into bars and lounges and even the theatre!  It caused quite a few comments!  On the other side of the coin, we've also seen people completely and utterly over-dressing - adding frills and bling where it was completely over the top.  

When the majority of passengers adhere to the relevant dress code (moderately), then it's nice, but the last thing we're going to be content with is people trying to get into afternoon tea in a swimsuit (not much of a swimsuit, more of a postage stamp in a country with a paper shortage), or going around on a formal night dressed like the remains of someone who has escaped the jungle.

It's a matter of showing respect for other passengers.  If people can't be bothered to present themselves neatly and in line with published information (in their own language or one that they know) then it's an insult to all the other passengers who have taken the time to present themselves correctly.  If we don't feel like going formal, we either order in, or go to the self service.

We most definitely did not find people being scruffy on VO.  

8 hours ago, planterx2 said:

I believe ALL passengers are allowed to board the ship beginning at 11:00 A.M.  There are no specific boarding times assigned to each stateroom category.  The assigned times have to do with stateroom access. As a DV passenger, you will not have stateroom access until 2:00 P.M.  You will still be able to have lunch when you arrive.  If the World Café has already closed you can have lunch at the Pool Grill, which is very good.

No need to change your flight.

Enjoy your cruise.

 

I can confirm from our recent wonderful cruise that we were permitted (according to the paperwork) to board the ship at 1100hrs, and that our accommodation (PS1) was going to be available from 1100 also.  However, our flight landed at 1115hrs, and by the time we got actually onboard the ship it was about 1245hrs.  We had such a lovely time chatting with other passengers on the coach from airport to ship that we forgot about lunch, but did manage a quick snack in the World Café.

We did notice the Pool Grill offering, and there was a good choice of nicely prepared food available.  If necessary, we could always have ordered food in I suppose?

As far as I know, passengers in other grades of accommodation just got on with having lunch in the WC or PG and then got access to their staterooms.

Don't worry about missing lunch - you can always find something.  However, having said that, because of previous experience with other cruise lines, we always board the flight outbound with snacks in our luggage, just 'in case'.  (Funny really, because it is in the case!).