whitbob

Bliss is heading to Panama City today. We passed them in GATUN Lake. Joy was here Wednesday as they had a large pre cruise group at our hotel. You might want to write into one of their Roll Calls to see if someone can let you know if Norwegian has been providing shuttles on the over nights in Panama City. We took 4 UBERS while in PC for 2 nights. All were clean, timely, averaging 2 to 10 minutes for pick up. Reasonable pricing. One cancelled us after asking if we wanted to go to the airport rather than the cruise port. When we said no, they cancelled, but another accepted immediately. Again, the actual port facility isn’t ideal. We could see the ship, but the driver missed the turn to the port as it wasn’t well marked, and disappeared behind buildings and trees. It would be worse after dark. Good luck with your planning.

When is your cruise? If you are arriving shortly I would not count on taxis waiting at the port. We embarked at Amador Cruise Port yesterday. The building isn’t finished, so we were processed in tents on the pier. Once at the pier, we learned they did have a shuttle from the pier taking you into town. Unsure if that was Viking arranged or the city. Our all aboard was 11:30 pm. The roads around the port are unfinished gravel, not pavement. We used Uber and we were stopped 4 times at noon to inquire where we were going. The driver had a conversation each time convincing people we were boarding the ship. Some were security stops, other appeared to be construction staff managing traffic into the area. We saw no waiting taxis, so I would imagine you would need to prearrange a pick up. We used Uber into old town on Wednesday around noon. The traffic was heavy and stalled entering and exiting the area, so you need to allow time. As Billb mentioned, old town itself was lovely and crowded, but the surrounding areas would be concerning to walk through if you were not aware of where you are going.

We dined in the Solarium on Solstice. It was an overnight, and we were anchored in Sydney Harbour for the first day. They were offering an upper deck pool ‘specialty dinner’ with 360 views of the Opera House, etc at night. Seemed like a great idea until a storm blew in, and they moved the dinner inside. The staff removed all the loungers on one side of the Solarium, and set up white tablecloth type dining with live music. We missed the views, but rest of the experience was well done. I am glad that we didn’t know about the ‘chlorine smell’ as that might have put a damper on the evening.

We typically book AQ rooms for reasons stated, but also struggle with some of the limited menus. A few years ago the Blu Maitre D on Solstice gave a small group tour of the kitchens. It was a sea day between breakfast and lunch when the prepping and cooking was happening, but not serving. He started on 2 and led us up through the sections of MDR kitchens taking the back stairs to the Blu kitchen ending with a treat in Blu with the wait staff. I enjoyed the whole experience, but it left several impressions. Seeing the size of the MDR kitchens and prep areas, I understand why it is hard for them to customize meals in MDR and get them right every time. Also the distance from the MDR kitchen to Blu kitchen isn’t ideal so I understand why they discourage ordering from the MDR menu.

Hopefully if others have new information about the YF vaccination for this cruise they will respond. We have not received any updates from Viking since the Nov 2022 letter I posted. Also, nothing new has been published in MVJ. We reviewed the CDC travel vaccine website and interpreted that a YF vaccine is not required for us to enter Roatan (both over 60). Further the CDC Travel advisory for Panama does not suggest the YF vaccine is needed unless traveling outside of the Canal Zone.

Thinking about what to pack for our Panama Canal trip later this year. I guess I will leave the tube tops at home. 😎

Does anyone know if Luminae on the Edge series ships offers anything from the classic menu (shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, etc.)? We have B2B cruises booked on Edge in February in SS and AQ suites. DH is a bit of a picky eater, so we will need to check the menus in Luminae and try other restaurants on the nights that he does not find something he will eat from the posted menu. Thank you for your help.

Dennis, welcome to Cruise Critic. We too are sailing Viking (Mars) through the canal this coming December, so I have been watching for information. Scroll down this Viking thread for more details about the Canal. See Panama Canal water woes for a start. Several of the regular Viking cruisers, or individuals with mariner experience have commented. In short, cruise ships pay to have reservations to enter the canal on a specific date and time. There is quite a bit of information if you search through and read the threads.

We did this cruise last Sept. including Oslo pre-cruise with Train. In response to concern with getting on in Bergen, as I recall we boarded through the cruise terminal using escalators/elevators and permanent ramps rather than the Mars ship ramp, which did have short steps. If your pre-cruise includes the train and Thon Opera hotel there are a few hurdles with that part of the trip. You walk to the train, not far, but there may be step ups and ramps, etc. I will include a few pictures. The storage for scooter may not be near or in your train car. Most of the cars were all rows of seats, we happen to be in a short or split car with only 6 rows of seats and a small luggage storage area. The disembark in Greenwich was ramps. Based upon tides, they can be slight incline or steep. You also have to navigate from the ship to a platform in the river, then onto a large ferry catamaran then back off at a ferry dock before the ramp to shore. Finally, you might want to search for the several British Isles threads on Viking CC. Those might have more details that can help you with accessibility at the ports where you have your excursions planned. I am happy to answer any questions.

This is from the doorway on Mars room number 5042, so 5044 was also directly across from those two doors. We thought both doors had a noticeable slam. Maybe as much a vibration as the noise. We sailed BIE last September and with all of the delayed luggage issues in Amsterdam and London throughout the summer MANY people brought fewer clothes so the launderette was busy from day 1 on the ship. The crew door was pretty quiet after 10 at night, but laundry seemed to be busy several hours later. I hope this helps.

I am also with Jammy if you are traveling outside Viking transfers and disembarking at Greenwich, reserve a car. We did this last September. We normally book a car, but we were going to a hotel at Whitehall and in NO hurry. Guest relations on the ship assured us there would be someone directing you to the taxi stand, maybe a short wait…. It was a fray. No queue, just 20 or 30 people in a mob trying to cut in front of each other for the next taxi. Taxis were 5 to 10 minutes apart. We tried UBER and someone responded immediately, we were very lucky to be off within 10-15 minutes because the crowd got bigger and Uber was no longer responding for others in the crowd. I would suggest selecting a pick up spot a bit away from the taxi stand it is across from the Spanish Galleon so your car service can find you. Enjoy the trip!

We are also on a Panama to Florida cruise later this year. Initially we were told the Yellow Fever vaccination was required if traveling through Panama before Honduras. Cruises going north to south did not require, as it was a requirement for Honduras when arriving from countries where Yellow Fever was a risk. Last November we received this email from Viking announcing the vaccination was now optional. I believe there is a thread here on CC about this if going back to summer/fall on 2022. This was the last communication that we received from Viking on the subject. The number is below for questions. Dear Viking Guest, Thank you for choosing Viking for your upcoming Classic Panama Canal Passage voyage. We would like to take a moment to advise you of an update to a travel requirement we previously communicated to you. Honduras has revised its Yellow Fever vaccination requirement for travelers who visit Panama or South America prior to arrival in Honduras. A Yellow Fever vaccination is no longer required to enter Honduras. However, we recommend you consider a Yellow Fever vaccination ahead of your travels in the region. Should you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact your Travel Advisor or call us at 1-855-300-3970, Sunday - Saturday, 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, PT. We look forward to welcoming you aboard and wish you a wonderful journey. Sincerely, Viking

Notamermaid, We are embarking AMAwaterways for a trip from Nuremberg to Wasserbillig in a few weeks, so I have been following your Rhine water levels posts. Would you have any updates for water levels for the Main River in the coming weeks? This is our 4th cruise involving the rivers in Germany, so I follow and enjoy your posts and ideas for visiting the area. Thanks for all of the time you spend on Cruise Critic. whitbob

We were on Mars last August. We also have a soft cushy mattress at home. I had read several reviews on CC of the Viking mattresses before our cruise, and was nearly in a panic about sleeping on the bed for 15 days. Embarkation day was busy with late arrival to ship and time spent booking dinner reservations and sold out tours with guest relations, so I forgot about the mattress. We were a week into the cruise before either of us remembered that we were going to request a topper. I never pulled back the sheets to check, so our cabin steward may have already provided the topper, if not the mattress was comfortable as is.

Excellent review! Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences. We are leaving this month for our 4th AMA cruise (Main/Moselle Rivers) with the pre-trip to Prague. Still studying the options for tours so your details are very helpful. We need to add AmaMagna to the bucket list.

We were on British Isles last summer, and do not recall any mention of Bridge in the dailies. This said I assumed that instruction and play depends on the itinerary. BIE is 15 days with 14 ports, so we found little time for activities on the ship.

We did the Taste of Bordeaux cruise a few years ago, and one person from our group used the Gentle Walkers excursions. They provided a small mini van type bus, picking up the passengers close to the gangway and dropping them close to the sights we were seeing. In several towns, we walked from the ship up hill to the towns, did walking tours of the area along the way and would meet up with the gentle walkers already inside a church, chateau, etc. as they were dropped off at the door by the mini van. Most of the touring was close to the ship, so we didn’t get bussed long distances on that cruise. Perhaps you can mention which cruise you are taking as others may have a better idea of the buses / transportation used for the specific cruise. Once on board the cruise director will be able to let you know what transportation and resources are used each day, so you can decide in advance what is manageable.

We did this trip end of Aug 2022, and our train departure was closer to 9:30 arriving Bergen after 5pm. We overnighted in Bergen. There were several morning departures. From reading the roll calls for previous trips, it appeared that Viking doesn’t always book the same train/time. Other trains last summer and spring were earlier. We assumed they book closer to departure and take the train with the number of seats needed. We were already assigned seats when checking into the Viking Desk at the Hotel so we sat on the left side. We debated the views out both sides of the train, and the first few hours the views were better on the right, but felt the lakes and glacier to the left were excellent once out in the countryside. As was pointed out, if you are interested in photographing the trip, you can move to the luggage car.

We arrived at the Greenwich dock Between 2 and 3pm. This was mid Sept. The boat Moors in the river, rather than docking, so it is like a tender operation to get off of the boat. In our case, Viking tours were 4pm, and we assumed given they tender off with Large Thames river boats, we would be able to squeeze in, and be able to get to several museums in Greenwich and the market on our own before closing. We were not able to leave the ship until 5:30, and we politely pushed our way onto the last boat full of Viking tour guests. I believe the mooring process took longer than they expected, which delayed clearing the ships tours. The included Viking walking tours were also only sights outside of the municipal buildings, as they were closed. We had been to London And Greenwich numerous times and we spent two more days in the city, so we were not missing a bucket list chance to see London. We did provide feedback to Viking that advertising ALL Bergen to London BIE cruises as being able to see London was misleading. The only 2 options they offered for seeing much was the night tour of Tower of London or A clipper night cruise. This picture gives you idea about mooring, as you are still in the middle of the river. The white building is the dock.

Day. This was about 10:30 am and we were just entering the river. Dover isn’t that far but we seemed to coast along all night in the channel so the Trip up the Thames was part of the experience.

We did this trip August/Sept 2022. 1. The pre-cruise trip included a 4 hour tour on Day 2. We started with a guided bus tour driving past city sights: Fortress, Cathedral, up Karl Johans gate, past the palace, City Hall, Nobel Peace center. The first stop was Frogner Park for a guided walking tour of the Vigeland Sculpture garden. Next stop was the Maritime Museum, with a talk by ship builders, time to tour the museum, and enjoy the views of Oslo Harbour. The bus then returns to the hotel. About half of the folks asked to be dropped off near city center, so they could spend the afternoon touring independently. 2. Where are you porting in Edinburgh? We overnighted here because of a port cancellation of the Highlands, so we DOCKED in Rosyth, rather than anchoring closer to the city. Viking/Rosyth had shuttle buses to Dunfermline NOT Edinburgh. Guest relations had a typed out set of instructions explaining how to take the train from there into Edinburgh. If you end up in Rosyth they did have locals at the port to help with transportation. In addition to the shuttles, they could call you a taxi, and we noticed an occasional taxi would pull up hoping to pick up a fare, but it was not a true taxi stand with cars waiting. We took a taxi into Edinburgh to have more time in town rather than on shuttles and trains. 3. Dun Loaghaire is a tender port. Viking had shuttles running into Dublin. The tendering operation for Viking was very efficient and the Dart station an easy walk from the port. We had been to Dublin before so we skipped going into the city because of the time to travel back and forth (45 min plus waiting to board, etc) . Last summer BIE seemed to have a reduced number of excursions available at many of the ports, as compared to this summer, probably due to limited vendors available. We would book a Viking Excursion or private tour with port pick up if we were doing this again. 4. We did an afternoon tour in Dover, but they had free shuttles running into town. The castle is a 1/2 to 1 mile walk uphill from town. The shuttles were VERY busy. We attempted to go into town in the morning, but missed a shuttle, and waited for about 20 minutes before we gave up and went back to the ship for lunch outside and wonderful views of the cliffs. There were 3 ships in Dover that day, and the shuttles were dedicated to the separate cruise ships. It looked like they had more trips from the Disney ship which was much bigger than Viking. 5. We moored in Greenwich, so I cannot answer your question about Tilbury. Enjoy your trip.

Thank you RobInMN and Second seating for the quick responses. I will be checking out Radius Tours next as your tours look great. We will have 2 days, so we can spend one in Munich, and focus on a longer tour outside the city for the second day. We have been very impressed with AMA. This is our 4th cruise with them. AMAMagna looks to be a fine ship which we hope to try in the future. Enjoy your next cruise. Thanks again.

RobInMN, hello! We are booked on this cruise for May. We are also starting a few days early in Munich. We have been on Rhine and Danube river cruises, so we wanted to visit some different areas this time. A few questions if you do not mind. What did you do in Munich that was a must see? How did you get to Nuremberg? We are taking the train to Prague for the pre cruise tour, so I am interested in learning firsthand how easy the experience is to board and transfer trains. What was your opinion of the cruise? Any tours that you felt were better, or things that are not to miss on the cruise? Thank you in advance for your thoughts, Whitbob

We also took this train independently. There was a shuttle from the port into Dunedin. Locally run and as I recall, for a small fee. We booked the Seasider train in advance. Took a few hours to walk around Dunedin. There was a farmers market at the train station and the station is a must see. The interior is Royal Doulton tiles. The train ride passes the port And hugs the coast for a scenic ride. It turns around and stops at the port on the return, so you may exit there. It was an easy downhill walk back to the ship. We ended up missing the Speights Brewery doing this, but they sold the beer on the train, so we did get to taste it. Enjoy your trip.

In MVJ there is a Transfer Request Form under the Manage my Air link. As for cost it was $49. pp for a one way transfer. That happened to be LAX to port, so I am not sure if the amount changes based upon location. Our Travel agent handled the booking for us with Viking. As outlined by CDNpolar, Viking will tell you they limit the service to ONLY traveling at the same time (day of Embark/debark), so typically they would not be set up with busses and a team to transfer you when arriving another day. We did arrive in Oslo (independently) 2 days before our pre cruise excursion, and Viking had 5-6 people in the airport to help you to the busses. Had we booked with them, they would have transferred us, they said, however Viking local employees are known for bending over backwards to help you. I am not sure Viking corporate would have allowed the transfer if not on Viking Pre excursion. It might be worth checking. Good luck.