molymoo

I don't know for certain but I would guess no.

If you usually bring your favorite pillow with you I would continue to do so. Even if they have memory foam pillows I would be willing to be they wouldn't be the same.

I have never heard of an email for Viking Air but we were given a 24 hour emergency phone number for our last cruise (June 2022). We did not have to use it so I cannot attest to its efficacy but here it is: 877-523-0576.

We could go on and on about the exceptional Viking service ... from the guest services desks, to the dining venues, bars, cabin stewards, every cruise has given us wonderful service so I will not be redundant here but offer an example of great service from the medical team. Pre-COVID we had occasion to "visit" the medical facility after my daughter twisted her ankle on the Into the Midnight Sun "Husky Trek" excursion. She initially thought she was going to be okay so she finished the "trek" and after returning to the ship went on the included tour after lunch. While on that tour the pain set in and the swelling started. By the time we got back to the ship again she was pretty miserable so we called down to medical and they were ready for us. They took three sets of xrays, gave her an injection for pain, and some additional oral meds for pain. By the time we got back to the stateroom they had notified housekeeping to keep us supplied with bags of crushed ice for the next 24 hours. They were as nice as could be and all at no charge as it was a Viking excursion. Would not hesitate to look to them for assistance anytime.

We have taken numerous river and ocean cruises with Viking and as long as someone else is doing the shopping, chopping, cooking, serving, and clean-up ... I'm a happy camper!

At the risk of provoking the ire of the "tipping police" I will admit that we have always tipped in $$ on the oceans. With such diverse itineraries and the fact that, truth be told, crew members don't always get off the ships at many of the ports it would be impossible to predict which currency would work for them at any given time (note: not all European countries use euros). Dollars is the official currency of the ship so it seems that $$ would be a reasonable currency for tips. In our conversations with crew over the years we have learned that most of the crew we interact with (cabin stewards, wait staff, bartenders) either send most of their money home or save it for their "time off" between contracts.

We did this extension and stayed at Villa Poggiale. It was lovely and although it was perhaps a little bit rustic but we LOVED it! All of the rooms are different but all have en suite bathrooms and there were toiletries provided. The food was delicious ... not fancy but fresh, locally sourced, and homemade. It is still one of our favorite extensions and to be honest if the opportunity came up we would likely book it again!

Totally get it! We are really excited about our upcoming Panama cruise ... it leaves the country but the flights are both domestic! Whoo Hoo!

This seems to be a "thing" for you and as one who almost always gets the package I will say that having the package is more of a convenience than anything else. I hawk our account while we are cruising. For some reason we seem to accrue a lot of charges while onboard and have found many, many mistakes along the way. It pays to watch and having the SSBP takes one thing off the list of things to monitor. No special doors .... just simpler bookkeeping.

So glad your trip went well and you enjoyed the Octantis. We would love to experience the expedition ships but for us it would be a trip to Antarctica, and that may not be possible ... I'm not getting any younger! The Great Lakes trips might be fun but as a mid-westerner who has visited most of the great lakes and surrounding regions, I would find it difficult to spend what it costs on Viking for something I could essentially do in my car with $1000.00 and a long weekend! 😉

The whole concept of Mamsens is that of a Scandinavian deli ... featuring the recipes of Mamsen (the Hagen family matriarch). They even duplicated the dishes that she used for serving her creations. Love a good Macaron but they aren't Scandinavian.

I had to renew my passport when they were saying to plan on it taking up to 18 weeks to process (2021). It took 12 weeks and some days so the estimates were not too far off!

One change I would like to see is more "real" information about the excursions. Right now all you have to go on is a generic "easy", "moderate" or "demanding" and having taken ones in all of these categories they are not really useful in determining your ability to manage the trip. Obviously there are some situations where you know that you will not be able to manage (eg: having to use a walker, cane, or wheelchair) but there are more subtle things that can make a difference. They go into more depth on the excursion's demands during the port talks but as these are the evening before the port it is too late to change or cancel ... you're stuck with either "sticking it out" or losing your payment. Why not do the port talks a couple of days ahead and give people time to make adjustments. They did that for us on one cruise (Midnight Sun) and they were VERY honest in their descriptions of the demands of the excursion ... I think a lot of people appreciated it!

Glad to hear we weren't the only ones who noticed this. I had read that some gave her rave reviews but we found her to be very unapproachable ... and downright "snarky" at times. We stopped going to the port talks because we found her difficult to listen to.

Just wait ... start talking about "tipping" and you will unleash the diatribe! For as many people who would like to see tips included you find just as many who will be opposed. The ability to pre-pay gratuities is, IMO, a reasonable compromise ... also a good way to use up those vouchers!

We have been on 8 twice and loved it ... but ... there is definitely more motion the higher you go and we experienced it firsthand on a winter cruise (Journey to Antiquities). We left our cabin and hung out on decks 1 and 2 for a good part of the day. Another thing to keep in mind that deck 8 (and 7 too, for that matter) has no laundry room. If you wish to do laundry (I don't think the "free laundry" applies to the DV cabins on these floors) you will have to go down to deck six (or lower) to do you own laundry.

Oh you can bet some people are!

As I recall we did receive email "reminders" from Viking as we neared our departure date ... specifically when there were more "requirements" in place throughout the world (ie: last summer / 2021). That said, I would not rely solely on Viking to guide you along the way. They do update things in MVJ regularly but you have a lot on the line ($$$) and should monitor things yourself as well.

Interesting! We have completed several mid-cruise surveys but never had any sort of response. Glad they are paying attention.

Have not stayed in this particular cabin but have been in others near the elevators and have never noticed a problem ... noise or otherwise.

We got an upgrade on our first ocean cruise (with Viking) and were in this corridor. It was wonderful! Would book it in a heartbeat! It is quiet and has an air of exclusivity to it as there are very few cabins on the 7th deck. We loved the quick walk to the World Cafe and the proximity to the Explorers Lounge ... and Mamsen's!! 😋

I knew that! Just a "slip'.

We did the Midnight Sun cruise in 2019 and we were in a PV on the port side (4017). I don't know what the view from the other side was, but I remember being very happy with our view at every point in the journey. There is a lot of amazing scenery in Norway but they are very good at letting you know when the scenic sailing will be taking place. There were times when the Captain would pass a special sight (eg; the Seven Sisters waterfalls) and turn the ship around so it could be seen from the other side. There is also great 'sight-seeing' from the Explorer's Lounge and the upper decks.

We will be on this cruise as well and in accordance with our cabin category our excursions booking opens on October 6th, 77 days before we sail. Traditionally Viking would post the excursions from which you may choose (included and optional) well before the first booking date, however, things have not been 'normal" for a long time. I would watch MVJ daily as your booking date approaches and hope for the best. We did well with our recent British Isles Explorer despite the fact that excursions weren't posted until quite a while past our booking date. We are still locked into the "school year" schedule so we have taken many cruises which have included Christmas and/or New Years. There isn't generally a big fuss over the Christmas holiday but they have gone "all out' for New Years. There may have been a "special dinner' at the restaurant on Christmas night (Americans make a bigger fuss over Christmas Eve more than other countries) but I really don't recall specifics. I would assume that Manfredis and the Chef's Table would stick with their usual menus but again don't specifically recall.

We were there in 2018 when the Tattoo started and while it was great fun to see the excitement and hear the groups perform in the evenings (our hotel was right under Edinburgh Castle) the city was in a state of gridlock and very, very crowded. Many in our group complained that the traffic and crowds made it difficult to enjoy their excursions ... both the walking ones and the driving ones.