StudentoftheWorld

On 2/21/2019 at 12:54 PM, Gourmet Gal said:

We booked Lisbon to Bordeaux and Bordeaux to London and we are not frequent cruisers at all preferring land or air based trips, a few cruises and boat charters. Except for London, all the ports are new for us with few sea days and multiple overnights.  I couldn’t find any similar itineraries with any other company so even though the ports seem common, the combination is very nice for us.  Perhaps eventually they will include more unusual ports but perhaps the early cruises are into ports with well-established infrastructure?  The brochure does tout smaller, off-the-beaten-path ports.The first ship is not an expedition ship and I notice that is a big trend right now so it may not appeal to those with a lot of cruise experience.  As for the ship, it looks spectacular and new is always nice.  Suite sizes, butler service, staff to pax ratio, inclusions and amenities all look excellent.  The size of the ship is appealing as well.  I’ll be sure to post a review after the cruise.

We're with you Gourmet Gal, literally and figuratively.  We'll be aboard the Bordeaux to London. We like the overnights, and about half of the ports are new to us. We're still exploring the various cruise lines, and there was more than enough about this one that appealed to us. 

Just now, timf2001 said:

Email just came in.  You do have to call in to make the reservation and give them your access code, but at least you can review everything online first.

Just got mine, too. Thanks for the heads up!

Not sure if we'll be doing any of these cruises (was hoping for the Christmas season). But I messaged Virgin on FB asking if they sent a link to deposit holders. They said:  "Not yet! Our crew is just tying up some last knots, and we'll be sending you the details very soon! In the meantime, you can check out VirginVoyages.com to start shopping." Hope that helps!

We are booked on the Dec. 23, 2018 cruise in an E1. Only 117 days from now! I saw that WEGL81 and Streamlines will also be on our cruise. Streamlines has posted in our roll call, but I’ve not seen WEGL81. Here’s a link to the roll call, should they care to join in: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2470753

The secret is out and Viking Orion does indeed have the most advanced 3D Planetarium in the World on board! I am very pleased to have been appointed as Resident Astronomer on this wonderful ship and look forward to delivering iconic lectures, planetarium shows and stargazing nights for all the guests. See you on board!

Looking forward to meeting you, AstroExeter, and attending some of the shows and your talks in the planetarium!!! We'll be on board July 8.

I definitely feel the effects of a turbulent ocean, so I always travel with ginger capsules. I don’t know why I haven’t picked up the ginger candy, like you mentioned Twitchly. It’s now in my Amazon cart. Azamara Quest (which is smaller than a Viking Ocean ship) had candied ginger readily available on our cruise in the Caribbean a few years ago. I believe the seas were 10’ - 15’ following a storm. The decks were closed due to the waves, and there were sickness bags in all the stairways. No one was walking in a straight line, and some people decided to (had to?) skip dinner. As Capt BJ and others mentioned - the direction of the ship versus the waves make a difference.

stretchcruz - I hope we don’t run into seas as rough as yours on the Sky! I will definitely need something stronger than ginger capsules, ginger candy, ginger beer, and green apples. On our last cruise, the previous occupants of our room left behind a few anti-nausea tools - ginger pills, wrist bands, and pepto-bismol. I kept the wrist bands since they were still wrapped in the original packaging. I may give those a try for our next cruise

Clay Clayton - what app do you have that tells you the degree of motion on the boat?

I’m sorry if I missed it, but I have not seen anyone mention what is printed in the cruise documents. I’d be curious if they’ve changed the wording over the years. Here is what is printed in our docs for the July sailing aboard the Viking Orion:

Like others mentioned, I’m not typically bothered by what others wear. If their behavior is loud, boorish, and/or rude, then I’m likely to notice their attire as well. We recently did a 20-something course dinner experience with 7 strangers in Las Vegas. The most obnoxious person arrived late, wore a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. His behavior bothered me more than what he was wearing. (Ok, I didn’t love that he wore flip flops to a nice dinner – but I didn’t have to see his feet once we were all seated).

I’ll be following along, BermudaBound2014! I appreciate your planning so far. I hadn’t thought about adding drink packages into my “added expenses” list.

Like BassettMom and R_Judy, I’m looking farther out for our cruise. We’ll probably book in 2025, sail in 2027, but hoping for sooner. I’ve started notes on things we need to take care of, additional costs, etc… I’m off to start looking at over the (20+!) websites that were mentioned in other ATW posts, including Scrapnana’s (http://kathisworldvoyage.blogspot.com, https://2018halgwv.blogspot.com) and h2so4’s (http://2totravelrtw180.blogspot.com) ATW blogs.

Also, these short Cruise Critic articles were a good place for me to start my research:

• How to Prepare for a World Cruise
  
• How to Prepare Your Home for a Long Cruise
  
• 12 Tips for Packing for a Long Cruise
  

I made a deposit this morning but got a message back saying that they were trending and they would send me an email with my confirmation number. Wondering if that means they hit their maximum capacity for deposits... did anyone else receive this?

Sorry to hear that! Hopefully, you'll get that email soon. I put a deposit down just now without issue. #1190.

I thought the same thing! I’d have just brushed off the soda thing with an, “Oh, I didn’t know.” (Except I do know because I did my homework and plan to get the drink package [emoji16]). I have also found that often the way you approach things, equally as often, changes the result)

 

As far as the chair hogs go, I’d heard that wasn’t a problem on Viking, but in the case of the spa, if there are only 4, I would have moved the articles aside and used the chair. If the previous occupant came back, I’d have said, “Oh good, you’ve come back. You’ve forgotten your things.” [emoji12]

 

I’ve found that attitude is everything, and I’m bringing quite a positive one for my Viking Ocean cruise. I had a phenomenal time on our river cruise with Viking last year and plan to have an equally phenomenal ocean cruise!

 

FWIW when I saw the title, I was expecting a description of the ship, the cabin, the amenities, the food, etc. Oh, well disappointment all around it seems [emoji849]

 

 

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Great points, Cyber Kat. Hopefully a true review is forthcoming as jend** is currently on board.

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Thanks for the links. We are sailing on the July 8, 2018 um, Orion. I like the story & godmother! Looks like it may be the inaugural journey. I hope the dates hold so we don't have to reschedule.

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Glad I could provide a chuckle! You'll love Explorer, I think - we're leaving soon for our second Explorer cruise this year (can't really afford another one, but what the hey, right?)

 

Saw that you're in Louisville - we just moved from Prospect a few years ago, we were in the Harbortown Condominiums right on the river. Kinda miss it...except for the occasional floods. ;p

We've driven past Harbortown many times... we used to live in Prospect (Hillcrest sub.) before moving downtown. Sometimes I still do my grocery shopping out there. River Road is my favorite road to drive... except for the occasional floods, bikers, and drivers that seem to think the speed limit is 25mph the entire way. :D

Mudhen - enjoy that new bottle of shampoo, wherever you get it!

Thank you, lord, for makin' me a dude. :halo:

Thanks for the laugh!

We have not yet sailed Regent. (We will be aboard the Explorer September 22! Can't wait!) So I don't know if there are other shampoos available. Mudhen, you don't mention the specific issue with the L'Occitane shampoo. Like caroldoll, I have struggled with my hair getting dry and brittle anytime we cruised. I tried leaving the conditioner in my hair. It took me one or two days to figure out how much was just the right amount for my hair, but it worked like a charm. It even helped tame my bedhead, allowing me to grab breakfast, before showering, without looking like I just rolled out of bed.

Hello studentoftheworld,

When you purchase a beverage package, all you need to do is show your keycard at time of purchase. The keycard will have your LCV information on it. The person processing your purchase will then manually apply your discount to the package.

Thanks, Bonnie!

Hi Bonnie - I think we are Discoverer level. I will be purchasing my Ultimate drink package on board the Quest in July. How do I get the discount? Does it automatically come up with my room key?

We sailed on Azamara for the first time in December (but have sailed a number of times on Celebrity). I hated that Azamara’s “ultimate” package still excluded some of my favorite bourbons (and other beverages). And it looks to be the same with the simplified packages. It would be nice if they followed Celebrity’s lead in that if you get the ultimate package all bourbons (and spirits, I believe) were included. At least I can take some solace in the fact that I can now get a Nespresso coffee or cocktail without the extra charge. (Ordered one by accident at in December, didn't realize there was a charge until AFTER I got the drink... and the bill.)

Yes, you are correct when you go to the general roll call page of Viking Ocean. No Spirit listed.

I am talking about the meet and greet registration. Look at the roll call of Viking Ocean. A the top of page you will see the Cruise Critic logo and Viking logo and a link for signing up for the meet and greet gathering they will have on each saling. When you hit the link, the dropdown list of ships does not have Sky but does have Spirit. :confused:

Azulann, I hope they got your meet & greet fixed! Thanks for teaching me something new! Now that I'm on my laptop (vs iPad), I see what you were talking about. I see the Spirit listed on the meet & greet, but like Host Jazzbeau mentioned regarding the Sun, no dates are listed. Maybe they will get everything up to date soon, including a roll call for the Spirit.

Happy sailing all!

On the Viking Ocean roll call page, I see Sky, Sun, Star, and Sea, but not Spirit. I had put in a request (or two) for the Spirit roll call, but still am not seeing it. Weird that we are seeing different groups!

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Please move this to the Roll Calls once you create one for the Viking Spirit. Thank you!

We have booked this for our first cruise on Viking (ocean). It’s 713 days until we sail, but hey, who’s counting?

Thanks, Peregrina651. I did get side tracked reading the reviews people have mentioned here, and posted my storage question while it was top of mind. We had just booked our first cruise with Viking, and I was excited to begin research. You can bet I’ll be starting a new thread with my questions in the future.

Thank you, Dauntless. I appreciate the information. I don’t bring much more than a 22” carry on, so I know I’ll be fine with whatever storage we are provided, but I was surprised at the lack of cabinets in Solent Richard’s cabin photo. We were on a Viking river cruise last year, and I was amazed at all the storage in our room. I’ll be sure to check out the Star review you mention on Cruise Critic, and the others posted here.

Thanks all!

Hi there.

 

I subscribe to Ralph's emails and while actually finding his reviews informative you do have a point regarding their value.

 

Which is one reason why, on my cruise blog site, I stick with the facts as I experience them.

 

You can judge for yourself...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/12/28/viking-star-a-taste-of-something-different/

 

PS. I only use my own photographs as well.

Great review of the Viking Star. I'm curious about storage in the rooms. Was there enough space for your things? Are there drawers? I didn't notice any in your photo of the room, so I'm curious. Thanks in advance.

Also, I appreciate the links you all have posted to the various reviews and such. Thanks!

I saw a press release on the Sun, and the world cruise it will be embarking on out of Miami (Dec 15, 2017). A quick mention states that it will be "delivered in late 2017".

I was trying to find similar information on the Spirit, as we'll be sailing her in July 2018. That same press release mentioned "the two remaining yet-to-be-named ships will be delivered in 2018 and 2020, respectively".

Here is a link to the article:

http://www.vikingcruises.com/press/press-releases/viking-sun-world-cruise.html

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you so much for the information regarding the muster drill and Lisbon, newbie60. And thanks neepawa, too! We’ll be sure to take advantage of the HOHO bus while there. It really is useful way to get a lay of the land.

Our recent Marina cruise left NYC at 11:00 PM. Drill was at 4:45 ish. Mandatory, but if you were not aboard there was a make up.

Thanks, sitraveler. I suspect this will be the case on our cruise, too. How did you like Lisbon? We finish our cruise there, and I'm looking forward to exploring the city.

I guess she was thinking a ship debarks a port the same way a passenger debarks a ship!

 

Mura

That makes sense. Let's hope you're right.

STUDENTOFTHEWORLD

 

I am not sure how much credence I would give to Valerie

if she does not know the difference between embarkation & debarkation :eek:

Good point, LHT28!