id4elizabeth

Zachie - what len(es) would you recommend for the a6300, given the kind of photos I shoot? I'd like to keep my load as light as possible, but do need that lens stabilization!

Oh, one other thing my camera doesn't do, when I manually focus, there's a focus button that magnifies the image quite a bit (I think it's 8 times), but it only enlarges the dead center. You cannot move this magnification area around the frame. And my subject is seldom in the center. I move the camera to put the subject in the center and focus, but then when I move the camera a bit to put the subject off center, it's out of focus. And on those rare occasions when I am using a tripod, this lack of being able to move the magnification area is a big problem. Of course if I were 30 years younger and could see without the magnification, that would help too!

Thanks again!

Thanks so much to all of you! I actually understood all of that (or most anyway). I currently have a "bridge" camera, a Sony DSC HX300. I'm starting to do things like close-ups of flowers with a blurred background and tack sharp images of landscapes with a desire for sharp foreground elements as well as sharp distance backgrounds. I'm finding the camera I have rather limiting. It only shoots Jpeg, only goes to f/8, in AutoFocus I can't change the location of the AutoFocus spot (I have to go to Program mode to do that and it's rather menu intensive to move the AF spot), and it's a fixed lens. I'm mostly a travel photographer and do like to zoom to get details of buildings and am often shooting in low light situations like interiors of cathedrals. However, I'm not trying to "thread the needle" like zachie - that sounds really difficul! I have a whole new appreciation for wildlife photography based on your reply.

I've been toying with the new a6300, but the lack of stabilization worries me as I refuse to lug around a tripod on my travels. (Wimp I know.) With my current lens that goes to 215, my chances of getting a clear image zoomed out is about 50/50% hand held. So, hence my interest in the A7Rii, even though it's a huge step-up in price.

Any other advice you have would be greatly appreciated!

Zachie - I'm an eager novice who's trying to make a decision about a new camera and have been thinking about the A7Rii. I'm curious about something you said in your last post about the A7Rii not being good for wildlife and bird work due to its full frame instead of APS-C. So in my naivete, I assumed full frame was always better than APS-C. Sounds like I'm wrong?

Could you explain (in simple terms please!) why an APS-C sensor might sometimes be better?

Thanks!

When are you leaving? Are you early enough to not pay a big penalty?

It sounds like most of your issues have been with Viking Air - if you read other comments on CruiseCritic, this is not uncommon. Your other option would be to cancel all the Viking Air arrangements and make your own. That way you'll get exactly what you want. You'd probably pay more though.

Dileep - loved your pics of Jaipur. What time of year did you go? Was it on a cruise? If so, who?

IMO Viking makes quite a few potty stops, and the guides were always pretty good about telling you where the bathrooms were and how long before the next one. That being said, when they did stop, say in a shop or restaurant, I personally never let a potty go by without using it, "just in case."

And yes, sometimes a potty stop can take a while if it's a one or two stall stop. And the ladies lines always take the longest.

Thanks pukekolive - I think you will enjoy the 8th floor. The folks who were in your cabin or the same DV1 cabin next door on our cruise were CruiseCritic members Bear_Music. He took a ton of pictures and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't post some of their cabin on CC. If you searched CC you might find a pic or two.

Glad you liked my blog. So far only our trip to China is there, but hope to start blogging on our Star trip in a couple of weeks. Will post to CC when I start blogging that trip.

Hope you have better luck than we did April last year. We were supposed to dock at 7:30, and our tour to Canteberry was supposed to leave at 8:30 (had to be in Torshavn Lounge at 8:15). We sat in Torshavn until almost 11:00. According to Viking, it was either trouble with British Immigration (despite the fact that British Immigration had boarded and gone through our passports in person the afternoon before we even entered the Thames) or it was trouble docking at the Tier. We got both stories officially from Viking.

We were supposed to be back from our Canteberry tour at 2:00 in plenty of time to walk around Grennwich itself before leaving at 6:30 for the London Eye. We didn't get back until after 5:00 so never got to see Greenwich.

For getting from ship to land - -

Once you get off the ship onto the Tier pontoon (quite small really), you get onto a shuttle boat which takes you to the Greenwich Pier. From there it's a short walk to the bus parking lot for various tours. For us, shuttle boats were supposed to run every half hour which was not nearly often enough. But sometimes they seemed to actually run more often.

Sail in and out was quite interesting and it was fabulous to be docked where we were right in Greenwich. Just hope they have the logistics better organized.

If I'm not mistaken, you're in one of the four smaller cabins on 8th floor, kind of in the middle of the hall. While you will not have the space of the Junior Suites on the 8th, you'll have the same view as these much more expensive rooms. I was the one who wrote about 8018 and 8019 and the slamming door, but as long as you're not in those rooms, you'll love the floor. Easy access to the 8th floor Sun Deck. Even though the "sports deck" is right above you, it's not used that much and we were never bothered by any noise from above. It is a bit of a walk to the main dining room, but nothing is really too far from you on the ship. The spa is only an elevator ride away, and the Wintergarden with afternoon tea is only a short floor below. (Miss those scones with clotted cream in the afternoon - yummm.) These are the best view cabins on the ship IMO !

We got close to 32" in our backyard in an area that doesn't get blowing snow drifts, so pretty accurate - but definitely far from official. Still waiting on snowplow but driveway is clear at least. My daughter is a nurse who worked Friday night and was stuck at the hospital until Monday afternoon when the sheriff's department started driving nurses and doctors back and forth. She worked 4 shifts over the weekend and slept on a gurney in the ER. This has certainly been one for the books!

It is very confusing. I think it's a matter of one hand not knowing the other. Yes, it says to make reservations for MDR but in actual fact, on board, it's first come, first served - they don't pay any attention to what you signed up for pre-cruise. For Manfredi's and Chef's Table, you do need reservations. For Mamsem's you do not, nor for the Pool Grill. Having said that, attendance at Chef's Table was so sparse on our 50-day cruise, most nights you could go there with no reservations, but I've heard that they've changed the set-up at Chef's Table, so you probably do need reservations there now.

On the Viking tour to Herculaneum you do not get any free time in Naples while on the tour. You get on the bus at the dock, go to Herculaneum, tour the site, get back on the bus and get taken back to the dock. The bus skirts around Naples itself. HOWEVER, it's a half-day excursion, so once back at the dock, you could get yourself into town and have a half day (or a bit less with all the transport back and forth) in Naples proper.

Our River Cruise today was marvelous. Our ship seemed enormous winding its way down the narrow river. We must have been quite a sight for the locals, who all came out and waved. We saw one truck stop in the middle of the road, which ran right along the river, and pull out his camera and take our picture.

I think the other thing that made it so spectacular in comparison to river boating is the height. Quite different to be 9 stories up looking down rather than two. You could see the landscape out for miles. We could see the Seine River’s bends way out in the distance. Some famous castles perched on the cliff faces glided by (but I didn’t catch their names). Quite relaxing!

We heard rumors that Viking is not going to do the port of Rouen with the Seine River Cruise again, as it meant too many days at sea. Pre-cruise, there was quite a bit of customer backlash on Cruise Critic (and elsewhere) against all the Sea Days on this segment. Apparently, the tides of the Seine and the tides of the Thames are just too much to contend with. We heard they are going to do Le Havre instead. Don’t know if this is true or not. That’s a shame really, as the port of Rouen and this cruise down the Seine were some of my fondest memories.

I enjoyed the day wandering around Rouen on my own, taking my time, enjoying this delightful city of leaning half-timbered houses and soaring Cathedral spires. I didn't even do the included Viking tour as my guide books told me there was a local Market that ended at 12:30 and the Viking tour was not going there. This worked out fine. Viking provides a free shuttle bus that takes you from the industrial area around the port into the heart of town. (You could also walk along the river, but it's a mile and a half.) Where the shuttle drops you off in town is where you catch it to come back, and unlike some other ports, this one in fact runs continuously. (I've had trouble in some other ports (like Dubrovnik) where the bus sits and waits for 20 minutes after you get on before it starts up again while the bus driver reads the paper.)

Note: Viking Oceans ship is NOT docked where the Viking River boats are docked. We're about a mile farther out from town.

The Viking tour did get to go to the smaller “tourist” Town Market that was near the Joan of Arc Church. The Market I was headed for was a bigger one on Place du Marc on the east side (by a couple blocks) of Eglise St Marclu. A little past the Plague Cemetery. It was crammed by the local French, and many of the vendors spoke no English. Or maybe I was delighted by it since I'm easily impressed, being a market novice.

Lots of fresh flower vendors, bakeries, fresh veges, fish (with some very weird looking crabs I've never seen before), meat, sausages, cheeses, plus antiques, vintage books (all in French of course), leather goods, even underwear, and mattresses of all things. I spent 2 hours there. Bought a chunk of Brie, and a half of a small loaf of fresh raisin walnut bread. Stopped by a Cafe in front of Eglise St Marclu and ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea and enjoyed my Brie and bread as my lunch. But like I said, I haven't done a lot of Markets.

I went to all (maybe just some, but it felt like all) the Churches in town, including the modern Joan of Arc church, with its marvelous old stained glass. Quite beautiful. The front of the Cathedral Notre-Dame was made famous by the many paintings of Claude Monet. I even managed to hoof it up to Eglise St Ouen and the Hotel Ville. And the town itself is charming.

Rouen is entirely doable on your own. I had a blast.

DH went on a private tour (arranged by CC member PopsA) of the D-Day Normandy area with Bayeux Shuttle that was fantastic. They had a private van and inside there was a video and audio that was triggered by GPS. So as they were traveling around, a video would come on with WWII footage, describing what took place on that very spot. Very high-tech. And of course, a small gathering with a knowledgeable tour guide gave the group a better opportunity to have an interactive experience versus a "follow the lolly pop and listen to me" day. And finally, the cost was less than the Viking tour by 10 - 20€. For those on future cruises, Bayeux Shuttle will work with you to tailor the tour to meet your desires. They also operate out of Le Havre.

We're scheduled to leave Rouen for Greenwich at 9:00 tomorrow morning.

I know this isn’t an excursion, but after Cadiz we had two Sea Days, so I thought I’d let you see what one of them was like - it's the second of the two.

The weather cleared this afternoon and everyone is enjoying this leisurely day at sea. Yesterday everyone was rather cooped up and trying to stay upright. Today folks are out and about.

Yesterday about 3:30 we enjoyed the free spa amenities as it had been a bit crowded earlier in the day, I think in large part due to the weather. When we went though, only about 6 folks were there so we enjoyed it a lot. The spa area is one of my favorite areas on the ship and kudos to Viking to making it available and free to everyone (regardless of cabin category). I know other cruise lines restrict access and you have to pay extra to take advantage of the spa. I was worried that the spa would be overly crowded with 900 passengers, but yesterday was the first day that we noticed more than 8 or so people there. Also, I had initially thought that there wouldn't be enough lockers available, but any time I've been there, there's plenty of available lockers. Note to Viking though - several of them don't lock with your keycard - #4 and #12

Today we went to the Infinity Pool and we were the only ones in the pool - had it all to ourselves. Fantastic. Temp was nice and warm. All the pools are salt water pools and the spa and infinity pools (haven't done the main pool yet) are heated to a nice temp - very comfortable. The salt water is mild and you don't feel like you have salt residue all over you when you get out. About the only thing we noticed is a slight salt taste if you lick your lips.

Have had fantastic massages in the spa (3 so far) and today I had a facial. And true to their word they do no push product at you and give you a sales pitch to buy more. I had to ask about a product - she then gave me the info I wanted, but didn't at all push. Another kudo to Viking for taking this approach.

Only one negative for the spa experience. The gratuities are confusing. There's an "auto-gratuity" of 15% that gets added onto the spa price. You can change this amount if you want. But, SOME of the personnel tell you that goes to the spa and that doesn't go to them. They tell you how to leave a "tip" which would go to them on TOP of the auto-gratuity. After a couple of times I talked with the spa manager and here's the scoop. The "auto-gratuity" of 15% gets divided up amongst all the spa personnel. So those that say they don't get any of it aren't exactly truthful if you ask me. They get a slice of your auto-gratuity as well as a slice of everyone else's auto-gratuity. You CAN give 0% to the auto-gratuity and give your whole "tip" to the particular person you want, but then you're cutting out all the spa people that are behind the scenes. Very confusing policy I'd say!

Now off to sit on my deck and enjoy the evening.

We went on this optional tour today and found it average at best. The first disappointment was the drive-by of Belem Tower - this was more of a glimpse-by. Then the guide had us spend too much time IMO at the 'modern' Tower to the Discoveries featuring Prince Henry the Navigator (which wasn't in our tour description). Then off to the Monastery and Cloisters which we did both enjoy. On the way we learned all about the nightlife and drinking habits of university students (more on that later).

Our guide, Maria, told us about a fabulous custard tart shop that we'd be passing by on the way from the Monastery to the Coach Museum and encouraged us to get in line to buy. When we got there the line was long, but she said it would move quickly. Well it didn't. Some of our group started walking to the Coach Museum, but some of us stayed in line (moi being one of the custard tart liners). In retrospect this was not a good idea and she should have told us to forget it. Most of the group went on ahead and those in line caught up with the other half at the totally skippable Coach Museum. Although the coaches were interesting, not something I'd recommend you spend your time on when you only have 6 hours in Lisbon.

Then we seemed to go on a bus ride through town, with her pointing out spots where the hazing rituals that university students go through and the drinking games they play. We probably spent half an hour touring about on the bus, but non memorable in my opinion. The highlight was seeing the old fashioned tram cars about.

Then we finally got to the Alfama district where we were supposed to stroll by the exterior of the Cathedral and "free time to wander its labyrinthine streets brimming with inviting cafes and craft shops". She announced as we got off the bus that we only had 10 minutes and then walked us about half a block into the area and started another discussion about what young people like to do and the acoustic guitars they like to play and their drinking habits, all while standing still. Of course we have no idea which way to go, so I finally interrupted her and suggested we really didn't care about university drinking habits and let's get moving. We walked about 2 blocks in total, a lot of which was under construction and then back on the bus. "So sorry but we don't have time for the Cathedral, but it's not that great anyway." It was only about 4:30 and our onboard time was 5:30 and we were literally within sight of the ship and could have walked back 20 minutes tops. But no - have to get back right away.

There were two busloads with this excursion with two different guides. It would be interesting to compare notes with the other group and see how it compares with my opinion. The guides can have such an impact. If there's anyone who was in the other group, post your opinion please!

Bottom line - I would not recommend this optional tour, and would definitely avoid Maria, but don't know how you'd do that if Viking opted to have her back.

Looking forward to tomorrow and the first of our 2 sea days.

We had a fabulous day touring Seville today. Eight of us from Cruise Critic had arranged this private tour through SpainDayTours.com (a TopDayTours subsidiary). We were the first to get off the ship at 8:15 and we were on our way by 8:30. We were WAY AHEAD of the Viking groups - as a matter of fact I never spotted them at all during the day. First we went to the Spanish Pavillion built for the 1929 World's Fair. Really beautiful. Next we went through the old historical Jewish sector and I sure am glad we had a guide or I'd still be wandering around the maze of charming alleyways. Then to the Alcazar. We had requested that we go INSIDE the Alcazar when we booked this tour. (The Viking optional tour does not go inside the Alcazar – they only walk around the outside.) It was fantastic - better to me than the Topkapi Palace that we had gone to see in Istanbul. Then we had an hour's free time - some went shopping, most went to eat, and I toured the Cathedral (the largest Gothic Cathedral in the world, or so they say). What a place. A huge high alter awash with gold leaf top to bottom, brought back from the "New World", and the tomb of Christopher Columbus. And the interior was so enormous.

Then back on our small coach and back to Cadiz an hour plus before the "all aboard" time. I went immediately to the Wintergarden for high tea since I missed lunch and wolfed down two scones with clotted cream and jam. Guess I'd better weigh myself tomorrow...

Viking also has an optional tour to Seville – it did not leave until 10:00 (we left at 8:30) and it was a “half day tour’ (ours was 7 ½ hours). Our tour was also cheaper. Another thing to keep in mind is that bathroom breaks last 7 minutes as opposed to 35 minutes when there's only 8 or so people.

I've got a couple more updates for a few more ports. Messages to follow for each port.

You can get just medical and evacuation insurance by itself without the cancellation, trip interruption and lost baggage features. It's normally a lot cheaper. Try insuremytrip.com or there are other websites you can browse.

I agree with your arithmetic freddie. And I agree that it depends on the city - St Petersburg and Moscow were particularly excellent examples of why a city hotel is much better than the riverboat where a lot of time can be wasted on a bus. But other places can be ideal.

On the other hand, what I would not like to do is change from the boat to a hotel for only one night. The hassle factor there would out weight any money savings potential. But for 2 nights or more, my vote is for the hotel and private tours, or DIY.

Emptynesters - thanks for replying - good to know.

Emptynesters - when you say some included tours were sold out, were they specific times that we're sold out? Or were ALL time slots taken?

On the maiden cruise, a particular time for a given tour would be sold out, but not ALL times for that tour. I do know that you have to sign up for them and can't just show up. But if you can't sign up until you board and they tell you every time slot is sold out, I'd go to the Explorer's Desk and complain. I don't know how Viking could refuse to accommodate you at all for something that is supposed to be included. But, I do know that you have to sign up and can't just show up. To my knowledge, no one was turned away from an included tour at ANY time slot. (However, some of the optional tours were definitely completely sold out.)

I'm with you pinotlover! Never will we ever do a maiden anything ever again! But 2019/20 sounds about right - assuming we're still able to travel that is.

Can't answer about the West Indies ports specifically but in the European ports it varied widely. Sometimes the included tours took up most of the day. But most times they were a morning or afternoon and could be combined with optional tours. When Viking comes out with the details on My Viking Journey there will be start times and durations listed with each tour. Then you'll be able to see if this is feasible.

You are entitled to the included tours so they'll never tell you you can't go. However the time you want to go may be full and you may not have as much flexibility with the time.

The laundry was sometimes crowded, sometimes not. And check other floors if yours is busy. You have to pick your times wisely. I'd suggest dinner times. The detergent automatically dispenses into the machine. If you find it too crowded, I can highly recommend the optional laundry service - cost was reasonable and was excellently done. You might consider for things that take a long time to dry like jeans and socks.