applecruise

Yes thee is a desk set up in the Asian restaurant. We usually grab something to eat at O'SHeehans and then head directly to the desk. In fact our next cruise we may do the reservations even before we eat.

We have 3 specialty restaurants as part of our cruise package. Is it worth it to buy more or how are the other regular restaurants?

Thanks for your advice?

Joyce from CA

Can anyone help ? Have tried to book reservations for dinner before our cruise. We leave in 4 weeks on the Dawn. The times I would like are not available. I know the cruise line holds back on availability . I have heard they only pre reserve a limited amount. How do I make my reservations when I get to the pier.? Is there a desk set up in the embarkation building ? That happened a few years back. Has that changed ? Where would I go on the ship to make reservations. Direct to Restaurant or reservation desk near the purser.? With the amount of people that are embarking I am trying to get helpful hints on what to do. Thanks.

 

I am dealing with the same thing for the Oct. 12 NCL Dawn cruise. Any suggestions?

Here we are on Friday in Tallinn.....oops, supposed to be Thursday in Tallinn and yes, we were in Tallinn yesterday, and maybe tomorrow: in fact we may just stay in Tallinn. Why you ask? Because on Wed. Night we had a major engine failure, so have now missed 3 departure times from Tallinn and will definitely miss Gdansk and Germany/Berlin ports.......what a mess for us and what mess for Viking!

 

 

We are so sorry that this happened and that your cruise was badly interrupted or discontinued. We were lucky it didn't happen on the week before, but still it is never good to hear this. I hope Viking does something very special - like giving a whole new cruise - to those who were affected. Viking has its good name and that is one of its main advertising means.

The Chefs table changes every 5 days now. Much better. If you walk up, they will show you all 3 menus for the 14 day cruise on the first night --- and take reservations.

 

When eating at the Chef's Table, you may want to eat early (if at all - not sweet and salty) - so that you can go up to World Cafe and get a meal afterwards. We did not enjoy Chef's Table but some people did. As for the wine paring - not for CA friends who are used to many good wines. The servers try to make it very special though.

We are on the Bergen-Stockholm itinerary beginning July 11. We booked both morning and afternoon Viking excursions in SPB both days, with about 90 min between them. Has anyone done this? Did you have any trouble with timing getting messed up, i.e. were you able to make it to the second excursion on time?

 

Thanks for any info current passengers can provide.

Hi Candy and David,

We are also on the July 11 tour from Bergen. In St. Petersburg we decided to do Alla (Comfort Tour) on both days with the optional cultural dancing show on the first night. It seemed to include more than the ship's tours which are probably good too.

Maybe we'll meet on the ship.

Joyce and John from CA

Our 50 day maiden saga has been an adventure - some great times, some really frustrating times. But it is now officially over as we are off the Star. I will continue to answer questions and post the occasional comment as things come to me, but my regular posts will end. I would suggest that this thread come to an end as well and someone else start a thread for the new voyages that are now circling the Baltic. Otherwise this thread could go on forever! Bye everyone, especially to those kindred spirits who were with us for these crazy 50 days! God bless!

 

We are sailing on the July 11 tour from Bergen and we so appreciate all your info. Yay, on the ice tea, too. Best wishes and God Bless you both

Has anyone had experiences with tour companies in St Petersburg? Thanks, J & J

Has anyone had experiences with tour companies in St. Petersburg?

Thanks for sharing and giving advice.

J & J

As wished for by almelanson I have set up a new thread for the "Viking Homelands 2015" cruises.

 

This could take over from the various threads which were so successfully contributed to by the maiden voyage passengers. Well done to you guys!

 

2015 Cruises

 

Stockholm to Bergen - May 30'th

 

Bergen to Stockholm - June 13'th

 

Stockholm to Bergen - June 27'th

 

Bergen to Stockholm - July 11'th

 

Stockholm to Bergen - July 25'th

 

This last 2015 cruise will be followed by a "Passage Through Europe" cruise ...

 

Bergen to Barcelona - August 8'th

 

Please feel free to contribute any feedback for the "Viking Homelands 2015" cruises.

 

Has anyone had experiences with either of these tour companies in St. Petersburg?

One other thing. The Viking Daily that will be delivered to your cabin the night before lists each tour title, code and its meeting place. It also shows the tour's start and stop times. The paper tickets that will be delivered to your cabin at the beginning of your segment will have the title and code. Viking is not printing the times on the tickets. You show up at your meeting place per the times listed in the Viking Daily (usually 15 minutes before the tour start time in the Star Theatre) and you swap your paper ticket for a plastic one with a number on it. Then you go and wait in the Star Theatre until your number is called. Do NOT show up more than 5 minutes before your official meeting time since various tours meet within 15 minutes of each other and there is no reason to get in their way.

 

My husband and I have found the included bus tours to be okay since we are used to just getting off the ship and walking around on our own and if Viking wants to take us around, we will let them. However, we've been to a lot of the 50-day ports before so we didn't have a burning desire to see anything except Delphi. Some of the walking tours are more "stand and listen" tours which we don't appreciate but then you can easily leave those at any time.

 

One thing I don't think has been mentioned anywhere is that Viking does have maroon port maps near the Explorers' Desk for each port at the beginning of the segment. I went down and got two of each (for me and my hubby) on Day 1 of each segment. They are not that good, but better than nothing. Some ports also have better free maps but not all. I don't think the availability of these maroon port maps was ever communicated by Viking.

 

It's just one of the secrets, I guess, like the paperback exchange is also on Deck 1 in the Living Room and bottled water is available in the Fitness Center. Other secrets include Mamsen's has good old plain cinnamon in the morning for oatmeal and has fresh raspberries and blackberries for its waffles. I ask for a bowl of those two berries and a little bowl of cinnamon and take them down the hall to World Cafe for its breakfast where I get my oatmeal, fresh blueberries and fresh strawberries (and sticky buns when they are being served!). If I think of other "secrets", I'll post them here. (These are the things you learn while being on ANY 50+-day cruise.)

 

Thanks for the info.We loved the walking tours with the Viking River Tours. With so many people on this ship, how organized are the included tours?. About how many people are on the walking tours and how many on the bus tours? Did you find there was a lot of wait time on those? Do they let people off first who are doing their own thing or private tours?

Thanks, Joyce

I will be on the cruise with another mah jong player. It would be great if we could meet up and play mah jongg. I called and asked Viking if they had a set but unfortunately the answer was "no". Maybe we can prevail on them to get one on board.

 

Do you play Chinese or American with the card?

If we have enough players I could try to get a traveling set. Any other players on July 11 cruise?

Joyce

Just wondering, has anyone booked Viking Air from the west coast, specifically from California to a cruise? We are booked for an October cruise and was curious as to which carriers and routes they have used. Since we won't get our air arrangements until summer, was just curious.

Yes, we booked from SFO for a July cruise an d we are booked on SAS (Scandinavian Air) with a short (1 hour) layover in Copenhagen and then a flight to Bergen. FYI. You can call Viking and get your air arrangements Around 75 days or more before getting travel documents. Seats cannot be upgraded but within 22 hours of the flight you can get seats changed. On the way back Stockhom to SFO we fly through Newark and have a four hour layover. Last year flying home from Europe we needed that much time to process passports and customs(although we have Global Entry (GOES) now). I hope this info helps.

Sure...I love mahjong...have not played for almost 1 year

 

It would be great if Viking would get a set to have on board since there are many people who love to play the game - and Viking does want to be up to speed - so to speak :-) In any case, getting a travel set may be an option (thanks to ? for the suggestion) if Viking does not get a set that everyone can use. :)

U can buy a travel set...or the cards type

That's a great idea. Anyone interested in a casual (not very serious) game?:)

[quote name='id4elizabeth']Tonight (late afternoon/evening actually) Viking presented the famous boys choir from Montserrat Monastery, which is just outside Barcelona. They were fabulous! It was the first time the choir has performed on a ship. They all looked like (and sounded like) angels. Very impressive performance. Well done Viking!

The performances were at 5:15 and 6:30. Our tour got back at 6:15 and we all had to race for the Star Theater. If you're going to Barcelona, you might want to check when the performances are going to be held and make sure your afternoon excursion doesn't interfere. This concert was well attended and should not be missed if you're a music fan.[/QUOTE]

This sounds fabulous and more like what Viking has been promoting in their advertising. Well done Viking! How far ahead of time did you know of this performance - even before sailing? I'm wondering about scheduling dinner reservations around these events so we (everyone) is able to enjoy the event.
Thanks,
Joyce:)

I wonder if Viking could have a Mah Jong set on board. They are far too heavy to pack and travel with. (Viking if you are reading the, could you please arrange that -American Mah Jong with numbers on the tiles. ). That being said, are there any Mah Jong player on the cruise.

Joyce:)

Applecruise

Some of the lectures have been excellent, some less so or more of a niche interest.

Movies don't really exist--or at least not in the cinema theaters. They have attempted 2 old movies (Gladiator and the first Marigold Hotel movie) out on the pool deck. Understand the audio was so poor for one of the films some people questioned if the soundtrack was in English!

In room movie selections are limited and old films-- Some like it Hot, Philadelphia Story, Gigi--quite dated, no first run movies anywhere--so watch them on the plane!

Cultural events have been nil, except for one late afternoon performance in Corfu-- it was 4 folk dancers. (Personally I have been very disappointed in the lack of native cultural experiences).

Musical performances, both the troupe and individual classical performers, have been excellent. They have about 4-5 troupe "shows" which they repeat for each leg, so if you're on for awhile there is nothing new to see.

TV, both 'live' (news stations) and minimal 'canned' selections has been sporadic (and absent for many days running) from the very beginning. Currently we have had TV access for about 3 days in a row--which I believe is a record--we all hope that that means the electronic issues have been resolved. Time will tell.[/quote

 

Thanks for the information and so SO sorry that you have been disappointed in the lack of native cultural experiences since that is one of their advertising points to sell the cruise. I just have to hope that they are in the process of getting some of these "cultural activities - dancers etc." lectures about the port talks, music typical of the port, etc set up. That is something we enjoyed about the river cruises since it tied in so nicely with the port that we were visiting the next day.

HI Viking Star Travelers,

What have the programs on board (or have there been any - lectures, cultural talks, movies, music, etc.) Just trying to get as much info as possible and I do appreciate your info.

Thanks,

Joyce :)

Someone mentioned (and I thought it was here) about taking the Flam Railway without taking the ship's tour. Could you share more info about that and what time you are going? I thought it could be fun for a group of us to do that.

Thanks,

Joyce:)

You will need your passport with you in St. Petersburg. We were there on a Viking river cruise in 2012 and you carry your passport with at all times. We also had visas because we were on our own in Moscow before the cruise and in St. Petersburg afterwards. We had to have invitation letters form the hotels we stayed in to get the visas.

 

This trip, we have booked a private guide with TJ Travel and already have our "tour tickets". They are licensed or permitted with a blanket visa for cruise ship passengers in Russia less than 72 hours but the guide must accompany you at all times. No being on our own wandering around.

 

Russia has made a lot of progress since the USSR days but it is still a controlled/monitored society. It can be a little creepy. You will see Ford police cars and a new Volvo Assembly plant in St. Petersburg. You'll also see lots of Cadillac Escalades and BMWs as well. Not what most people think of when they see Russia.

 

St. Petersburg has a lot to see and sites are on par with Versailles and the Louvre. We did a Viking tour to the off-site Hermitage repository and it was very interesting to see how much they have that is not even on display.

Thanks for the info. To clarify- do you mean that if you book with TJ Travel you do NOT need to have visas? It seems like it is a hassle to get visas ahead of time we were just going to take tours from the ship. Thanks, Joyce and John:)

Do be sure in Santorini to allow for long lined at cable car. I panicked and walked down with donkey traffic going in both directions. Had to get up on wall a few times to avoid them. Walking stick was a huge

help on uneven cobblestones and dodging donkey poop. Will never do that again! Will just wait in line no matter how long.

 

We did the same thing - what an experience, but it all adds up to interesting times. Didn't you just love Santorini? Did you go to the town at the end of the island - can't remember the name - with the blue domed roofs and the meandering walk among the buildings and site. We grabbed a cab and paid a bunch and then took the public bus back for very little. We wished we had taken the bus there, too.

Joyce from CA

Hi, Robert.

 

I contacted Kostas at http://www.santorini-private-guide.com and he is available for a private tour of Santorini for up to 8 people. I will need to send a deposit for 100 euros through PayPal to hold the reservation. The reviews are excellent and his tour options are customizable and attractive.

 

He offers a 4.5 hour tour for 300 euros and a 6.0 hour tour for 380 euros, for up to four people. Additional participants are 30 euros each. So, if we had a group of 8, I think it would run 500 euros, or 62.5 E apiece.

 

Cruisers on private tours are tendered to the Old Port, where they may access the cable car up to Fira. The cable car costs 5 euros each way. Entrance to Ancient Akrotiri is 5 euros, if we select the 6 hour option. That's it.

 

I thought you might find this tour of interest for photography purposes. Let me know if this appeals to you. Other cruisers, please let me know if you have any interest.

 

The deposit is 50% refundable 30 or more days out.

 

There's also a bus that goes from the port (forgot the name) to the end of the island where there are the best sites on the island - with the blue domed roofs. Along those buildings is a walk (no cars) and you can walk and explore on your own if you are not wanting a tour. This is still my favorite island. Have fun. Joyce from CA

We are sailing Viking Star on July 11 out of Bergen and look forward to meeting some Cruise Critic friends.:)

Joyce and John from CA

So if you have gone on the Viking Star, please share how it was, any suggestions and any info. I would appreciate it.

Thanks,