BrendaEDH

Thank you @2cruisecats! I will definitely contact First Light Travel for help with pre-cruise week in NZ.

By chance do you remember the name of the NZ travel group? We are booked on the Aus/NZ cruise in Feb. 2025 and are just starting to plan our pre-cruise week in NZ and 10-12 days post cruise in Australia.

I was on the same cruise as @whitbob, and so enjoyed the sail up the Thames! A local pilot (retired), provided narration during the transit through the Thames Barriers. Having a bright sunny day along with Pimm's cocktails in the Explorers Lounge added to the festive atmosphere. We arrived at about 3pm and yes, there was a bit of a delay getting the ship moored, so all Greenwich walking tours started late. It seemed there was an issue with not enough tenders (Thames Uber Boats) that afternoon. Regardless of the issues in Greenwich, it was a great cruise. We also stayed in London for five days post-cruise. Enjoy!

Agree with @janetcbl, there's lots to do and see in Oslo! In addition to the list above, we also enjoyed the Nobel Peace Center and Oslo City Hall. The Viking Ship Museum is currently closed for renovations until 2025. Enjoy!

We also did the BIE this past summer and enjoyed a combination of Viking tours and private tours. If you have time, I would recommend taking the train that runs between Oslo and Bergen, beautiful scenery. As for tours, we did a private tour in Shetland (David Malcolm - Discover Shetland), a retired doctor and local historian!! In Orkney we joined another couple and toured with See Orkney, great excursion and were able to see so much more than expected. As for optional excursions, we also enjoyed the Ffestiniog Railway tour, long day, but as others have said, beautiful scenery. This excursion tends to sellout first, but were able to get on the waitlist once on board and it seemed that Viking added an additional bus to accommodate the demand. I would also recommend the Canterbury and Leeds Castle tour. We arrived at Leeds Castle just as they were opening the gates, so for the first hour it was more like a private tour!

Thanks for the beautiful photo of the Viking Venus in Falmouth! I'm looking forward to visiting Falmouth next year on the Viking Neptune.

Thanks for all of the great tips for the SA Fjords cruise! Any comments or suggestions for a Patagonia tour provider?

Add me to the list of folks interested in feedback on the South America & Chilean Fjords cruise. Which direction might be better (Santiago to BA or BA to Santiago)?

We were on the same cruise as @travelijkkk disembarking in Greenwich on September 13. We were staying on for a few days in London and therefore knew we had to arrange our own transportation. Upon disembarking at about 8:15am we found our bags with black tags, asked one of the Viking representatives about a taxi and was directed to proceed about two blocks (across uneven roads during busy commute time) to a cafe with taxi stand. We may have just been lucky as there were two taxis available and off we went into London. I did not feel that we were "dumped" off at the dock by Viking, but have always traveled independently and therefore aware of the process. Greenwich does not have a large cruise terminal, so not the normal disembarkation process or volume of cruise passengers for waiting taxis.

@Moonlion - Lots of great excursions, so it was hard to decide for certain ports. First, it all depends how much walking and/or length of excursion you would like. Second, if tours appear sold out at booking time, once on board talk to guest services and get added to the waitlist. This worked for us in Holyhead & Dover. As for private tours, we originally booked one for Invergordon, but the port was cancelled a few weeks prior to sailing and were fortunate to receive a refund. The other private tour was in Shetland, as we wanted a full day tour. Edinburgh - we took the included tour and it was probably our least favorite. The guide was fine, but the tour group was too large for a walking tour in and around Edinburgh Castle. Regardless, well worth taking the tour for an overview of the city. We also took the included tour in Belfast, Dublin, Liverpool and Greenwich. In all except Greenwich, we stayed in town and took the provided shuttle back to the ship. In Belfast after the included tour did the Titanic Museum. Interesting museum about more than just the Titanic. Optional excursions: We selected Orkney Wartime Legacy, as the Orkney Stone Age was sold out. We thought about a private guide, but most required a non-refundable deposit. The Orkney Wartime Legacy was small mini bus (24 passengers) tour. Wonderful guide who was a naval historian, but also provided some information about the Ring of Brodgar. Holyhead - Ffestiniog Railway Tour. It was a long day, but well worth it! Our guide kept us on time and even added an additional stop at Conwy Castle before returning to the ship. Lunch included at Betws-y-Coed. Dover - Canterbury Cathedral and LeedsCastle. Another full day excursion, but well worth. We went to Leeds Castle first with guided tour and then to Canterbury for DIY lunch and then tour with guide inside the Cathedral. Enjoy your cruise next year!

Hi Twitchly! Thanks for your review! We were on the previous BIE cruise disembarking in Greenwich on September 13. We also had spectacular weather from Oslo to Bergen and the entire cruise, only used my raincoat one day in Orkney. The ship was at full capacity, but only seemed crowded during breakfast in the World Cafe on port days. We tend to enjoy The Restaurant and Manfredi's for dinner and agree the menu selections included more spicy options! 😃 The lectures were better than I remembered from previous cruises, especially with the pertinent information provided around the passing and funeral for Queen Elizabeth II. All so helpful, as we spent four days post-cruise in London. We had a few changes to the itinerary with no stop at Invergordon and instead an overnight stop in Edinburgh (Roslyn) and missed Ullapool due to high winds. The sail up the Thames was wonderful, especially with the added narration provided by a retired Thames pilot. We took a combination of included tours, optional tours and private tours. I do wish Viking would provide more details in the excursion descriptions in MVJ, so passengers are not surprised at the amount of walking vs bus ride.