PRH

13 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

At least the roof is open and no rain!!  What a beautiful day it appears to be. 🙂

 

It sprinkled but yes, a nice but cloudy day.

Today we crossed the equator so there was the ceremony.  This is our third time and I was surprised by how many passengers decided to take part in kissing the fish (Prince Sushi) and jumping into the pool.  Guess that’s what happens when people are getting their money’s worth from SS?

43 minutes ago, Cienfuegos said:

 

Are you guys drinking a lot?

We were only having one drink an evening but there are a number of Woodford drinkers on board.  Guess the South America cruise drained the larder before we boarded!

Out of Woodford Reserve before even left Brazil!

Well, Jupiter ran out of Woodford Reserve before we even left Brazil and no more until at least Spain.  This happened before and why i was reluctant to purchase SS.  The Beverage Manager keeps getting away when we try to talk with him.

Out of Woodford Reserve before we even left  razil.

Today was Recife, Brazil.  Took the included walking tour.  Was 97 degrees and incredibly humid.  Guide was fine (he is also a pharmacist).  Lots of cobblestones and uneven walking.  Interesting town with a mix of architecture. You must take a bus from the ship to the terminal where there is a fair amount of walking.  Then walk from the terminal into town.  There is an artisan market not too far from the port.

We did the included tour in Montevideo.  It was different than a few years ago when we stopped at Constitution Square, Parliment and the park with the statues.  This time it was a quick drive by and then stopping at the Carnival Museum.  The Museum was great—as was the included show.  The Carnival Museum is just a few blocks from the pier and next to the Market—lots of little shops and very good grilled meat restaurants.  I’m not sure if you can simply walk into the Museum—the costumes are amazing.  
 

We spent the morning walking around Montevideo down the pedestrian street (lots of shops) and to the three squares.  We took the afternoon included tour.  Ask for a city map at guest services which is significantly better than the one they hand out at the gangway.

We have been to Rio before and saw the Christ the Redeemer, the botanical gardens, the national forest, the beaches and the favelos so given the pouring rain and the pier being very far from town and the beaches, we stayed on board.  We were surprised by how far we were from the old town of Rio so take that into consideration.  Our plan had been to take a taxi to Copacobana and walk the beach—but not in pouring rain.

In Buenos Aires, we used AsadoAdventures for an Asado in Frank’s home in Palermo which included going to various shops for purchasing food items, a wine tasting and helping to prepare some of the food.  This is an excellent introduction to the Argentinian Asado (bbq) and our second time doing it.  We also used AsadoAdventures to schedule a trip out of the city to visit Areca—beautiful little town with silvercrafters and leather workers using traditional methods handed down.  Then out to an Estancia (ranch) for horseback riding, Asado and gaucho dancing and horsemanship demonstration.  This was less than half the price of Viking’s similar offer and there were four of us rather than a bus load.  It was also raining off and on but the ranch house was lovely and we ate out on the patio.  Generous amounts of food and Malbec.  A group of us went from the ship to a Tango show and dinner through Viator.  Again, much less expensive than Viking and there were 10 of us—picked up and brought back to the port.  
 

15 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

The planetarium doesn't have a telescope. It's an IMAX style dome screen and a projector.

Actually I was talking about the star watch which is at night led by the speaker.

We are on this cruise.  My husband was initially disappointed that no art classes but they are offering unhosted arts & crafts in Wintergarten on sea days.  Luckily there are other painters.  He goes to trivia and there is a chorus offering on this ship.  I have not been particularly impressed with the “expert lectures” or the subject matter.  Somewhat interesting content for what it is but dry delivery.  We haven’t been to the planetarium yet.  With heavy clouds and rain, stars are rather elusive!
 

re: Manfredi’s, I had the Viking Bistecca and while it wasn’t as thick as previous cruises nor prime, it was well prepared and very good.  My husband liked the chicken Parmesan.  The pork chop was also pretty tasty as was the fish special.

we did have a meet & mingle which seemed to be well attended.  Assortment of drinks offered but no canapés.  It was scheduled for 6:30pm on the second sea day which may have interfered with dinner plans.

previously we have been able to sign up for liquor and wine tastings.  They were all filled the first morning!  We’re on a waiting list but we were unaware you had to sign up upon boarding and nowhere was there a list of what, when and where.  You must specify directly to get an answer.  This is our 10th ocean, 13th cruise and this was a new wrinkle for us.

29 minutes ago, deec said:

We would like to hire a guide/driver for the day in Edinburgh.  I appreciate the info on doing it ourselves but with a group we want a guide

25 minutes ago, PRH said:

Just be aware, the traffic is horrendous.  We spent more time in traffic than anything else.  Is the light rail open yet?  If so, Uber to Britannia and then take the light rail in and meet your driver at the station.  Will give you much more time!

Should be Leith tram rather than light rail.  It was close to opening when we were there last spring.

Just be aware, the traffic is horrendous.  We spent more time in traffic than anything else.  Is the light rail open yet?  If so, Uber to Britannia and then take the light rail in and meet your driver at the station.  Will give you much more time!

51 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Definitely a tender port.

 

The Britannia is about a 15 to 20 minute walk from the tender.  Buy tickets in advance.  Will take about 45 minutes to an hour.  We then took the HOHO bus into town.  It stops near the Castle and takes you through the old town and back to near the tender.  The rail system may be operating now and that would certainly cut time as traffic can be horrible. 

The subway and bus system is very easy to use.  Especially if you want to go out to the Olympic area.

1 minute ago, millybess said:

Very nice photos.  We visited on a cloudy day last year, so my photos aren't as nice. 

We had a guide who kept talking outside with clouds coming in.  A few of us went ahead inside before the sun disappeared.  This was our third time and I am amazed how much is actually done.  We visited both before and after the sanctuary was consecrated.  I think the building is supposed to be completed next year?

If you have not been, go to Familia Sagrada and go inside.  

We’ve always gotten the SSP for our Ocean cruises.  We are trying to decide whether to do it for an upcoming transatlantic.  Here is the question, if you delay purchasing it to evaluate and then decide to purchase, do previous drinks roll into that purchase?  I know the charge is retroactive to boarding but are charges for drinks rolled into that as well?  Has anyone made a later decision to purchase and if so, how were drink charges prior to that handled? Thanks.

Yes.  We were in 6099.  Also a double lounge but it is squeezed in.

1 hour ago, BlairsvilleCruiseGirl said:

Are you talking about the "Walking the Nature Trails of Mousa Island" excursion?  I signed up for that on our May 31 Into the Midnight Sun cruise, so hopefully someone who has been on it will reply!  I did see a YouTube video on it and it didn't look too demanding.

If this is the one, my nephew did it and said there wasn’t too much to it physically other than climbing the tower.  Of course he is 27.

Not more dressy that I’ve noticed.  Leaving on our 3rd one in two weeks.  No jeans at dinner or shorts (unless in Ocean View—very casual) in the Restaurant, Manfredi’s or Chef’s Table.  Perhaps because of sea days, there is a little more effort but not necessary.

On 2/24/2024 at 12:39 PM, ericosmith said:

Looking at the Shetland Islands the included excursion is Panorama and Ponies.  Does anyone know if you can pet the ponies or just observe from a distance.  Asking for a friend (well actually my wife)

You can get very close to the ponies.  There were two very young ones you could pet last spring.  We took this included tour in the am and an optional one in the afternoon.

18 minutes ago, longterm said:

Most of the optional excursions we've booked have been excellent, there have been a couple of stinkers though.

We're doing the British Isles Explorer in July, and have booked a half-dozen private tours. Having done other touring off-ship (Rick Steves, Odyssey), we've seen the same (or similar) tour guides on those tours as well. Viking clearly pulls from the same pool of local guides, though they have favorites with whom they probably contract with well in advance.

We've had great success with toursByLocals.com, and have a couple of tours scheduled with them this summer. Our toursByLocals guide in Rome (Marisa) was absolutely fantastic.

If you’re interested in the political history of Belfast, I highly recommend Tours by Locals Frank (Francis).  He is excellent, picks you up at the ship in his Mercedes van and you will see and hear far more than Viking.  Our 23 year old nephew who was with us on this cruise was blown away.  Frank lived through the Troubles and is a historian—he really does give a fairly balanced account of what happened and where things stand now.

My favorite, risotto with escargot, has apparently also been removed.  It is delicious!  You could actually taste the snails.  The chef offered to make it specially for me when I asked why no longer on the menu.  I do think Viking has cheapened the food—hence the drastic changes in something basic like chicken parm.  In addition, it so depends on the chef as we sailed the same ship back to back when there was a chef change—you could tell.

9 minutes ago, Travel 25 said:

We are on the Southern Atlantic Crossing that departs from Barcelona on October 18, 2024.

Opps. We leave from Buenos Aires in March.

14 hours ago, Travel 25 said:

Thanks, FetaCheese.  We will be on Viking Jupiter

We will also be on this Jupiter cruise.  We are buying wine in Buenos Aires and foregoing SS this time.  We’ve got lots of OBC but thought we’d test it out this time on a drink by drink basis as we’ve always gotten SS before.