madmedic

15 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

I am currently on Apex.  No problems with speed.

Good to hear from someone who is onboard now. 

Thank you for all the input. From what I gather there is no particular noise concern with that cabin but it's all dependent on whether there are party animals next door. 

Now I'm even more confused. There seems to be a 50/50 split of opinion. Ordinarily I wouldn't usually book an adjoining cabin. Elevator noise is not particularly a concern.

We booked late for a cruise with my parents.and the only suitable cabin near the elevators was an adjoining cabin, 8169. I can't find anything on the spreadsheet regarding this cabin. Has anyone sailed in it or can comment on the the potential noise issue?

We're on Apex in May. Never been on Edge class before and wonder if we will be able to experience the four included restaurants if we have early dining. Anytime was not available when we booked last week.

36 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

We are wine drinkers.  We had difficulty finding a good glass of wine in some of the venues.  So 50% of the time we were at the martini bar.

Same here. Our favourite Cherry Tart wasn't available for our last sailing. 

8 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Yes they are.

That's great. Judging by last summer's cruise it looks like a no brainer for us 🤣🍸.

Hi does anyone know if matinis are still available at the Martini Bar with the premium drink package? Sailing Apex in May and it could be worth upgrading our classic package. 

Thanks so much. Very helpful and reassuring.

Hi we have had our Viking air itinerary and have chosen to earlier flights. Having never sailed with Viking what is the earliest time we could expect transfers from our arrival airport (Venice) to the ship? We don't want to be hanging around the airport for hours. 

Our return is from Athens. What time does Viking get you off the ship for your return transfer? 

Are there steps into the solarium pool? Thinking of travelling with less able parents. Also are there any decks that are not accessible by lift? 

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

IMHO, as long as it is within the stated dress code (because I am not advocating anarchy), wear what you want as long as it makes you happy!  This is your vacation and it is your choice what you wear. If dressing up makes you happy, then do it -- and do it with joy. 

 

As to the question, would she feel overdressed, that is something only she can answer. Would she be overdressed? First, I don't like the term "overdressed;" it is judgemental.  Let's put it this way, a small number of women chose to wear cocktail dresses -- just as a small number of men choose to wear blazers/sports jackets.

 

All I say don't be like one older couple that I saw on one cruise. They were the most unhappy looking couple I have even seen on a cruise ship. Every night, he wore a double-breasted suit, she wore a cocktail dress and the family jewels. They looked elegant.  Each night, they sat alone at their table, stone-faced and stone-cold silent. I don't think I ever saw them talk to one another let alone to anyone at a nearby table. Every night, they looked miserable and unhappy -- and not because of what they wore but what they didn't wear -- a smile.

Totally agree with you Peregrina!

Another question from my DW on the topic of evening attire. She likes to wear a nice cocktail dress in the evening, nothing too glitzy.. Would she feel overdressed?

Just to add to the Silver Spirit drink package query can we decide after a day or two into our cruise to purchase it then or does it have to be pre cruise? 

I've just managed to find the booking date which is a little over the 60 days cut off so I'll put this down to experience and just use a travel agent next time. 

Is it possible to transfer the booking to a travel agent after booking direct with Viking in the UK? Looking for a bit of on board credit. 

20 hours ago, madmedic said:

No it won't let me open 😞. Thanks anyway. 

After a few tries I was able to open the link. Very helpful thank you and just what I was looking for.

1 hour ago, CDR2001 said:

You can get an emailed PDF of excursions for a recent cruise via the Chat on MVJ. Explain that you understand that the prices and tours may change by next year. Only once has the chat agent not known how to send this, so try another time if you don’t have success. 

I tried this once but will have another go.

The agent said that it was not possible 😕.

17 minutes ago, mimijes said:

Madmedic, hope you can open this. ShoreExcursions.pdf

No it won't let me open 😞. Thanks anyway. 

We're reading this thread with growing excitement. We are doing the same itinerary October next year. Is there any way I could see a list of the excursions with prices offered for this year? Obviously it would only be a rough guide this far out.

5 hours ago, millybess said:

The boats leave from the harbour at the base of the Stradun.  (If you come through the Pile Gate, walk all the way down the Stradun).  There are lots of hawkers selling all sorts of tours there.  You can buy tickets there in a shop near the clocktower, before you pass through the gate and into the harbour.

Thank you that sounds like a plan. 

15 hours ago, Messybill said:

 

We did the Corinth Canal tour in May.  The canal is interesting although the buses park at a touristy very busy snack/souvenir/restroom stop. The ruins are good, but not as good as at Olympia (Katakolon).

 

In Koper we took the included walking tour which was fine.  It’s a small city and easy to walk around.  There are plenty of other tours that will appeal to specific interests.

 

In Zadar, the falconry tour was one of our favourites on the whole cruise — as has been detailed by my DW here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2954738-empires-of-the-mediterranean-port-times/?do=findComment&comment=65937656

 

We visited Dubrovnik twice because we were actually doing two cruises back to back: first Odyssey and then Empires.  The first time we did the included walking tour of the city which was quite informative and certainly gave us ideas about what to do the second time we visited.  On the second visit, we took the cable car to the top of the hill which is definitely worth doing and provided some great views.  We returned to the city and took the ferry to the island of Lokrum which we highly recommend, especially if you are interested in birds.  Lokrum is basically a large park with some ruins and a great number of wild peacocks.  It is a very short and inexpensive ferry ride from Dubrovnik harbour.  You can spend as long or as little time on Lokrum as you like.  There were also people snorkelling there if that is something that is of interest to you.

 

In Kotor we again took the city walking tour.  It is a very small place with a scenic backdrop, but in our opinion there is not a lot to do there.  We took the afternoon off and relaxed on the ship.

 

Corfu we visited twice.  The first time we took the tour to Theotsky Winery which is excellent if you like wine for breakfast.  But even if you don’t this tour is definitely worth doing.  In addition to the winery there were some scenic stops.   The second time in Corfu we started out on the Traditions of Old Corfu walking tour but somehow ended up wandering around the city on our own which was just fine.  We bought some awesome Kumquat liqueur.

 

Santorini is a very busy place.  We had previously been to Santorini twice on our own and stayed there for some time.  So we know the island well but chose not to disembark because the facilities for cruisers are extremely taxed.  The island is enormously busy and we had a great time sitting on the 2nd deck behind the restaurant floating around the Caldera on the ship and watching the crowds on the shore.  If you have not been to Santorini the best (in our opinion) place to visit is Oia.  There you will see the picturesque blue-domed churches and have some great views of the Caldera.  Fira is also an interesting place to visit and to shop but it will be very busy.

 

We stayed on our own in Athens after disembarking and explored it for a few days.  We loved the Plaka district and did the Acropolis which is a must-see but it is invariably hot and crowded.

 

View from the top of the hill in Dubrovnik

Lokrum sounds interesting to me having been to Dubrovnik previously. Where does the ferry go from and can you get a ticket on the day? Xx 

On 6/27/2023 at 12:46 PM, India2017 said:

Very interesting reading but has anyone in UK been offered this or does it only apply to US?

 

I was wondering about this too given that we different booking T&C's.

1 hour ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

I’ve never requested it pre-cruise but once you arrive inform your room stewards. They will convey the information to the food service staff and will typically change it before turndown on the first night. 

BTW We don’t use coffee pods (coffee is available 24/7 in the WC) so for some extra shelf space you can request the coffee machine removed.

That's good to know. We won't have a coffee machine in V2 but will be sure to get any soft drinks we don't drink swapped. 

On 8/16/2023 at 3:29 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

V1 and V2 do not get the minibar refreshed. Only DV and above. You can request it to be filled the first time with whatever flavors you like but after that refills would be chargeable. Typically they have tonic already stocked (lots of gin drinkers?) You can however grab an extra can of soft drinks from the WC and put it in your fridge yourself.

We've booked a V2. Could we request certain soft drinks pre cruise and how would we go about this? Otherwise perhaps we could ask for a couple of changes on arrival.