molymoo

Sorry A, having trouble finding email ... probably need a site tutorial as I have not posted much recently.  We will be leaving from NYC on June 22 and heading for Reykjavik.  Would be fun to meet your sister should it be possible.  Thanks for the information and the pics!

E

We are still 78 days out from our Iconic Iceland, Greenland and Canada cruise in June.  We have booked our excursions but recent health issues have me wondering whether we might need to make some changes before we sail.  We have booked two in particular that I question moving forward and wonder if those who have done these can give me some more details than offered in the descriptions.  One is in Akureyri … the Whale Watching Safari.  It is listed as “demanding” but wonder what might make it so.  The other is the Fjallsárlón Ice Lagoon by Zodiac in Djúpivogur.  The question here is riding on the Zodiac … have been having some arthritis issues in both shoulders and wonder if the zodiac might be difficult to manage.  Am working diligently with doctors to address the issues and better manage the situation but want to be ready to make changes if necessary.

A lot depends on the cruise.  We have been on 10 VO cruises and three were in PJS's (upgrades courtesy of Viking) and generally use their laundry service for everything except "personal" items.  We have often had difficulty getting washers/dryers ... especially on sea days.  Generally folks are polite and patient but there are always a few that will "dump" your stuff if you aren't back immediately.  On one cruise we witnessed a "gentleman" go on a tirade about how the washers/dryers were to be used.  He insisted that if you are using washer #1 then Dryer #1 was "yours" and no one had any business using it.  A woman who had washed her load in washer #4 placed her load in dryer #1 which according to him was "his".  When his wash was done he opened dryer #1, dumped her wet clothes on the floor and stated that "that should teach her to follow the rules".  Takes all kinds!

6 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

Don’t forget churros—Little shop in the Barra Gotic—best chocolate in Barcelona

https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/ShowUserReviews-g187497-d2256739-r433334195-Granja_Dulcinea-Barcelona_Catalonia.html

 

As for Gaudi, after Sagrada Familia, don’t miss Casa Battlo—incredible!

https://www.casabatllo.es/en/antoni-gaudi/casa-batllo/inside/

 

 

Although it was a few years ago we were able to get tickets for "Sagrada" and Casa Batillo with "open arrival times".  They cost a bit more but we didn't have to plan our time around entry times.  Also ... the best churros and chocolate are in Madrid!  

Guess I missed an opportunity!  Sent 12 tags and even paid for shipping ... just asked her to pay it forward sometime!

We got a lovely duffle on our first cruise with Viking in 2011.  It was quite nice but has moved on ... how many bags do you need???   Finally divested ourselves of 12 red luggage tags (someone wanted them!) but still have six more.  I also have eight to ten felt zipper bags and an assortment of ipad cases.  We just bring our Baggu bags with on trips as they are required for any shoppping in Chicago these days.  Actually glad Viking has ceased sending such things.

1 hour ago, CDNPolar said:

 

It is hard to go hungry on a Viking ship - yea, kind of true - but I am a very early riser.  I want tea or coffee at 4:30am to 5:00am.  That is difficult on a Viking Ocean ship.

 

I won't use the in-cabin coffee maker at that hour because the noise it makes could and will wake the dead, and my husband.  

 

I have tried room service with a note on the door hanger menu to "knock ONCE ONLY" but they will come and ring the buzzer several times and wake my husband.

 

The best thing for me is to slip out the door - does not wake my husband - and go to the World Cafe.

 

This is a fine choice but I have so many times found the coffee machines there in cleaning mode, being restocked, or whatever and therefore not able to get a coffee or tea.

 

Viking Ocean need a station for folks like me to self-serve early.  River has it and I LOVE River for this fact.

Interesting ... Have been a 4:00 AM person for more than 45 years.  Was my wake up, get up time while working and commuting so it is pretty much in my DNA now.  Have done more than 10 VO cruises and never had any issues getting coffee from the WC in the wee hours.  Would happily use the in room coffee maker but it's a bit complex for my tastes ... my daughter is in charge of the later cups.  

2 hours ago, duquephart said:

Indeed. But at least you know what you're getting - or not getting. With Viking you pay the price and are later informed that there is more to pay ("gratuities").

Gratuities are optional ... you are perfectly free to ask that the charge be removed from your bill if you do not wish to participate in the practice.  There are just as many complaints from those where gratuities are "included" in the price of the cruise ... you're never going to make everyone happy.

5 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

 

Ok... understood.  

I work in DEI heavily (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) and wanted to understand where you were coming from.

 

It can be a touchy and slippery slope sometimes in how one refers to an individual that is mobility challenged, or has any kind of limitation that is either physical or if they are neural divergent.  Some terms can be acceptable in one country and not in another.

 

It is a shame that some threads are not taking care to how they speak to this segment of our society.

 

The sad part is that many places in the world today do not yet recognize that every living being should have the same accessibility.  But when you look at some of these countries and then recognize that compared to the USA and Canada we are but toddlers to their centuries of background and infrastructure that cannot easily or reasonably be modified, it makes more sense.

 

One day...

5 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

 

Ok... understood.  

I work in DEI heavily (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) and wanted to understand where you were coming from.

 

It can be a touchy and slippery slope sometimes in how one refers to an individual that is mobility challenged, or has any kind of limitation that is either physical or if they are neural divergent.  Some terms can be acceptable in one country and not in another.

 

It is a shame that some threads are not taking care to how they speak to this segment of our society.

 

The sad part is that many places in the world today do not yet recognize that every living being should have the same accessibility.  But when you look at some of these countries and then recognize that compared to the USA and Canada we are but toddlers to their centuries of background and infrastructure that cannot easily or reasonably be modified, it makes more sense.

 

One day...

Glad to hear from another proponent of inclusion!  I taught children with multiple disabilities for more than 40 years so that’s where I am coming from.  Although the US and Canada have come a long way … even we still have a long way to go !

52 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Sorry, I don't want of offend you, but I don't see this discussion as "shaming" anyone, but an honest discussion about the demands of certain countries and the excursions that are offered.

 

I am not suggesting that you are calling me out, but from my perspective, I am purely sharing what I have seen and observed.

 

My heart actually goes out to those that are mobility challenged on the average excursion because I want them to be able to travel and see what I do, but there is the desire on the side of the individual to participate and then the reality that it may be more challenging than they thought.

 

I have seen far too often those that part way into the excursion ask the guide if they can sit the rest out and have the guide circle back to escort them to the bus.  

 

If any of my comments have caused you to think I am shaming anyone, my sincere apologies as that was not intended.

I really wasn’t implying that THIS thread was “shaming” anyone.  It is however a frequent topic that appears here in the CC site and some comments are just plain cruel.  We have always been sympathetic of those who struggle and have often opted to “hang” back with them.  The upshot has been the fact that we have had the opportunity to get to know some absolutely lovely people and enjoyed the excursion on a different level.  Sometimes it’s nice to stop, take a breath and really take in the location.  You’re not going to “see everything” on a single excursion so why not give yourself the opportunity to enjoy and experience what you can?  

I have been watching this thread for awhile and, personal feelings aside (I will admit that I find it disheartening to see those with any sort of mobility so frequently "shamed" here on this forum) I would like to present (perhaps) another side to the "story".  

To preface, I am a senior citizen who travels with my daughter (not a senior citizen) and although I am not quite as "spry" as I was in my early days, I have no mobility issues and in 20 Viking cruises I don't believe I have ever been one who slowed down the group on any excursion.

We recently returned from the Egypt itinerary and it was certainly as challenging as its reputation. We considered this and gave careful thought to what excursions/activities we would complete and which (if any) we might choose to skip.  There were 53 on our trip (a little more than half the number originally slated for the trip) and we were split into three groups ... each with 20 or fewer members.  Despite the fact that the whole group was pretty much representational of the "typical" Viking demographic we ended up in a group of much younger (20's and 30's) members of families and some hard core "commandos" who were obviously very fit, still working, and regularly worked out and walked "several" miles daily.  Great for them but it made it difficult for those of us "more typical" individuals to keep up the pace.  A good example was during one excursion the group was spread out a bit and I was "huffing and puffing" to keep up with two of the commandos ahead of me.  I could hear but not see our guide.  After a few minutes my daughter asked me why I was hurrying and my response was "to keep up with our guide".  She laughed and pointed behind me at our guide.  She said she didn't know where the others were going but apparently they had their own agenda!  It was that way throughout the entire trip and continued into the Jordan extension.  If I heard "I can rest when I die" one more time, I might have "lost it"!  We did request a group change but it was obvious that that would have been difficult so we "resigned" ourselves to being "those people" who might be slowing down the group (in fairness, there were about 6 of us "normal" people).  I'm not sure there were any complaints about us "slow pokes" (they honestly seemed oblivious to the rest of us most of the time).  But in all honestly I'm not sure it would be fair to measure our "ability level" against theirs.  

Just another POV.

33 minutes ago, Jjg34219 said:

In August, 2022, we booked Empires of the Mediterranean for July, 2024. Havent really paid much attention to the pricing on Viking since we booked, but it has increased by about 25% since we booked, and the two extensions have also increased by about same amount.

We are so glad we decided to book while onboard in Alaska!

We have found that if you find an itinerary that you want to book, do it and don't wait for a better deal and don't look back.  Cruise prices, airfares, etc. will inevitably go up (as with EVERYTHING) and special deals will expire.  We booked the Grand European in 2022 (after cancelling our 2020 trip) and in the fine print there was an offer for flat rate business class air for $1995.00 if you booked a suite.  We booked a veranda suite and enjoyed some lovely air accommodations last summer and considering the state of air travel/prices/conditions, we made out and I'm guessing that Viking might have lost on that one.  I have noticed that they are no longer offering that deal!

11 hours ago, Mitten5 said:

I hope they nix Cyprus also.  US embassy singled Cyprus out about a security alert for Americans.  I wish I knew how to put it on this site for all to read.  Viking is throwing us a bone $500 ship board credit I told them to keep it I didn’t want it just keep me out of the Eastern Mediterranean.😡

Not sure it will work but here is a link to the site to which you are referring:

https://cy.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-nicosia-cyprus-october-19-2023/

Note that is the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus issuing the alert so I'm not sure "singled out" applies, but all they are warning about is potential protests and asking that US citizens be aware and avoid large crowds.  This is far from the "the sky is falling" scenario that you are painting with your post.  There have been large protests in cities all over the world (there was a massive one in Chicago the other day) and to date, they have been relatively peaceful; causing few problems other than obstructing traffic.  Protests, and other similar gatherings are common and generally confined to one place and it would be easy to avoid the area which I am sure Viking and tour operators would do.  Last Spring there were widespread protests all over France and there was little talk of people cancelling trips there!  There were pictures posted on social media sites of tourists sitting in an outdoor cafe while fires burned around them during protests in Bordeaux.  Take a breath and decide whether or not you wish to continue on this trip ... expecting Viking to act in accordance with your level of "risk tolerance" and on your timeline is really a bit unreasonable.  You can always choose to stay onboard in Cyprus.  

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

My understanding is once the itinerary is actually ticketed and you get a ticket number, then you can choose seats.  Any assigned seats prior to ticketing are requested seats and could change.

They also remind you that any assigned seats after ticketing can change as well!

We generally book PV cabins ... no free laundry but pressing is free.  We generally use the laundry rooms for "personal" items and PJ's and anything we don't want to wait for, but do make use of the paid laundry on every trip.   They do a wonderful job and we generally feel it is reasonably priced.  It can get crowded in the laundry rooms but if you time it right it's a nice little "perk"!                

45 minutes ago, jrkstl said:

So here is our experience with traveling the "In Search of the Northern Lights" cruise this past Feb/March on the Viking Venus, which was our first ocean cruise:

 

My husband and I are both vegetarian. On some days, the World Cafe had a few options, but it was not as overwhelming as I had assumed the choices would be. We were usually able to find plenty to eat, however. Regarding the main Restaurant, we ate here the most evenings as we enjoyed the dining experience (lots of cruising time/sea days on this itinerary) and were not in any particular hurry. On each dinner menu there were sometimes two or three vegetarian main course options, and all were really fantastic. We dined at Manfredi's one night, and had plenty to choose from. We didn't, however, eat at the Chef's Table, so no experience there.

 

Our forms have been marked "vegetarian" for years now (we've traveled quite a few times on Viking), and we sometimes have a chef speak to us, but mostly this doesn't happen. Regarding the forms, we find that they are hit and miss as to how much the ship staff pays attention to them. Frequently, we'll have the beds separate upon check-in because I guess that assumptions are made regarding two males - LOL! 

 

Now this entry made more sense to me!  I am not a vegetarian but often prefer not to eat meat and my daughter is "primarily a vegetarian" and she is my travel partner.  I have found (on more than 10 VO cruises) that with very few exceptions there is at least one vegetarian option in each of the categories (starters, mains, etc) at every meal ... often more than one!  I wouldn't think that special attention from the chef would be necessary unless other food restrictions were in place.  

I generally like to assume that those exhibiting "boorish" behaviors are not necessarily doing so intentionally but rather are caught up in the moment and not realizing how what they are doing affects others.  That said, if their loud conversation bothered you you were perfectly within your rights to ask them (politely) to keep the volume down.  You also would have been within your rights to speak to either the manager or one of your wait staff and ask them to handle it.  I wouldn't expect any of the staff to risk upsetting an otherwise nice dinner service unless someone complained.  

22 hours ago, JandC_Cruising said:

We just decided to book a December 2026 Egypt cruise on Viking yesterday and was shocked to see an October 31, 2024 final payment date! Rather than jumping in, we put a 72hr hold on it and then called to make sure it was correct.  They said yes. 

We are planning to do pre and post add-ons to the cruise which adds another 10K to the total.  Do you know if those can be added on at a later date?   I'd rather not pay all $30K so early but would be fine paying 20K in Oct '24 and adding the other add-on's sometime in 2025 and paying those at that time.

Since you've done quite a bit on Viking do you have any thoughts/experience on adding things after?  Thanks..

 

Yes, you can add extensions later ... only issue is the possibility that one or the other or both may be sold out when you are ready.  Not sure selling out is as much an issue with Egypt cruises as the ships hold a much smaller number of passengers.  We have added extensions "after the fact" more than once.  

17 minutes ago, Texanniew said:

CDNPolar, thank you for the great explanation! Do I need to sign up for plus before we are ticketed?

You should sign up for Air Plus as soon as possible.  I am pretty sure that the $50 pp charge is long gone and is now $100 pp and perhaps more.  If you wait to be ticketed you will not be able to change anything without a significant charge (last I heard quoted was $300+).  You can also play around with your flights in MVJ before they are ticketed.  I have played around with our seats more than once on our upcoming Egypt trip and still check regularly for alternative flights for our March trip to Bordeaux.  You can, once the flights are posted (and not ticketed) look at alternative flights, change seats, and upgrade your cabin (sometimes, not always).  Once the flights are ticketed you can only change seats.

Oftentimes we have found that when we call to "pick" our flights (after adding Air Plus) none of our choices are available but (as in the case of our Egypt trip) the flights Viking offered were far better than any we had on our "wish list".  They had access to information about flights that we could not yet see in Google.

Also keep in mind that ticketing a flight is still not a guarantee that things will not change.  It can always be changed by the airline ... and often is!  And on our cruise last winter we had our homebound flight changed by Viking while we were cruising.  It was a lesson for us as we had upgraded to Premium Economy directly with the airline so lost the $200 for the upgrade and ended up in "lousy seats" on the way home.   Fortunately it was a relatively short flight so not that big a deal really.

I am so looking forward to reading about your trip as you go!  We will be on the same itinerary next June and will enjoy seeing how your trip goes.  We will do two nights in NYC before our sail and looking for ideas as to how to spend our time.  Fortunately we will be flying from Chicago so no jet lag and we can "hit the ground running".   Last time in NYC we did a wonderful tour of Central Park, a "hard hat" tour of Ellis Island (unrestored portions ... mainly the hospital) ... awesome experience!  I remember sailing past the Statue of Liberty being a "goosebumps" moment ... looking forward to seeing her again!  Thanks for your posts!  Looking forward to more ... and your blog!

We have done the BIE twice ... once starting in London and the last we started in Bergen.  No difference really.  We enjoyed both and did extensions on front and back both times.  On our first BIE (2018) Liverpool was not on the itinerary ("operational issues" we went to Glasgow instead) and we were not able to go into Ullapool due to weather.  On the second (2022) we missed Orkney (Kirkwall) again because of weather.  On our last trip we anchored in Dun Laoghaire for the Dublin stop.  Viking had a shuttle that went back and forth all day between the ship and Merrion Square in town.  We did the walking tour on our first trip and stayed in town beyond the tour and enjoyed some fish and chips and a Guinness (a Dublin requirement).  The second trip we took the shuttle into town and did our own thing ... a visit to "The Little Museum of Dublin" (fabulous!) and Oysters and a Guinness (required) at Matt the Thresher.  It was a lovely day! 

It is a wonderful cruise and I dare say I might be tempted to go again!

I have not lived in nor travelled extensively in Spain but I have spent equal time in both Madrid and Barcelona and would return to Madrid in a heartbeat ... even for a short trip it is a wonderful city and an awesome experience.  Barcelona was fun and we enjoyed our time there but have NO desire to return.  Not being a Gaudi fan (I know ... I'm in the minority) Barcelona got tiring after a short time and we headed to Montseratt to get a change of scenery.  LOVED every minute in Madrid!!

On 7/23/2023 at 7:32 AM, Virgo61 said:

We too booked a cruise for October 2025 on Viking. Our final payment date is 12/23 so also 22 months in advance. Our TA was not able to get anywhere with them. The only reason we agreed was we had over $1800 in vouchers which were set to expire if we didn't use them somewhere. I'm on some of the Viking Groups on social media and I can't believe how these people defend every egregious policy that Viking has. I've been on 2 of their river cruises and 1 ocean cruise and this 2025 will definitely be my last.

Not sure I understand this response.  Apparently you have some issues with Viking in general ... "every egregious" policy seems to indicate that the problems go well beyond their "pay in full by" one.  I am a loyal Viking cruiser (21 and counting) and understand why some might not like their payment schedule policy, but understand that this is the way it is and if I wasn't okay with it I would take my business elsewhere.  I am not "defending" this policy ... it's just not an issue for me.  We pay in full when we book ... that works for us and so the payment schedule isn't an issue.  It's as simple as that.  

1. I have researched "change my flight" several times and there has always been an additional charge ... sometimes fairly nominal but always a charge.  There may be some other options for you but it will largely depend on the contracts that Viking has with the various carriers.  This confounds things considerably.

2.  We have upgraded to premium economy "after the fact" a few times through Viking and again it all depends on the carriers they have contracts with and whether those contracts include premium economy.  I would guess (and it's only a guess) that "business class" on Eurowings would not be considered "premium economy".  

3.  We have left in the "wee hours" many times and really don't hate it.  We are fortunate to live in the Chicago area so it generally means that we get home (as in our last stop) at a reasonable time.  On our last trip we left our hotel in Amsterdam at 3:00 AM (we were on an extension) which was not fun, but got home to Chicago at 1:30 in the afternoon!  Nice to drive home in daylight!  At any rate you will get a "bag or box breakfast" to go ... or you can order room service if you are on an ocean ship and want to eat before you leave the ship.  They also sometimes have a continental breakfast set up in the living room (on the ocean ships) as, trust me, you will not be alone when you leave early.

Sounds like your best bet is to call Viking Air and have a discussion.  Might cost you for Air + but might be worth it as you may have more choices.

Leon was removed from our December FLL to LA Panama cruise and all I thought was "good riddance" ... not a place I was anxious to spend time in and was happy to have another sea day!  The Panama Canal cruises have lots of sea days ... if you don't like them probably best to reconsider the itinerary.