farmecologist

Us either! We are currently using Sofi Bank, earning 4.6%. I'll have to look into Bread saving accounts. Never heard of them!

Wow..that is later than I thought it would be! That works well for us though. 👍 I'm hoping the later it gets, the fewer people there will be...true? That is usually the case on other lines we have been on anyway.

We like eating later as well....the later the better, in fact. Anyone know how late each venue is open in the evening?

Guaranteed cabins typically happen when shopping the deals, etc...at least in our experience. And we did get a heck of a deal on our upcoming TA.

We have a guaranteed cabin on our upcoming TA in early April. We always take the lowest category, lowest price room ( we are cheap..ok? ) 🤣 So does anyone get "upgraded"? If so, are they free? On other lines you have to "bid" for room upgrades...but I haven't seen anything like that on Viking.

Doesn't seem like these price increases are just for the popular itineraries though. Just checked our TA coming up in April, 2024 and it has also substantially jumped in price. Cruise booking is like any other travel booking...timing is critical when attempting to snag the best deal. For instance, we booked this TA during the sales in late November. Free air, free SSP, reduced rates, and past customer discount. This combo was only available for a very limited time for our sailing. I'm also guessing the $25 deposit has something to do with it. Sailings are "filling up"...but nobody has paid, and many will likely cancel as the payment date approaches!

Nice. I'm definitely NOT a "dress up" type of guy, but I added the Bluffworks machine washable sports coat to my "wish list" of travel gear. Looks nice! I also have a Merino wool button down ( Western Rise ), which is GREAT for travel.

Our thoughts exactly. We are really looking forward to our first TA in March, 2024! Since these ships are so nice, we love the idea of having many sea days to actually enjoy them!

I'd be interested in this as well....assuming this isn't top secret information. It sounds like it might be! 😁

^^ What you said. For some reason, we get a bit uncomfortable when in very close proximity to other diners. Not the end of the world, but it doesn't make for a pleasing dining experience. The weird thing is that we are completely comfortable socializing in any other venue. I think it is the fact you are "captive" when dining in close proximity to others and it isn't nearly as easy to walk away. BTW - I took a peek at the "360 degree tour" page and it looks like the Restaurant is the most problematic. The other venues all look much better as far as "table for two" seating goes...assuming the vanues are set up as pictured in the "tour". https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/content/oceans-360/start.html

Well I'm happy for you...but it certainly is an issue for some...hence the discussion. Not sure what your point is? 🤷‍♂️

Ok great! That certainly sounds much better than I was thinking, and much better than the river cruise situation.

Bandwidth is a precious commodity on a satellite system like Viking uses. Unfortunately, some bad apples likely took advantage of the "unlimited wifi" situation and were chewing up horrendous amounts of bandwidth. As with anything, this always happens...some folks have no self control. 🤷‍♂️ Pretty sure Viking was forced to put these changes into place to make wifi better for all. With that said, 1.5 Gig per person a day is a LOT of data for normal usage, even some low bandwidth streaming like YouTube, as you said. The issues arise when people start streaming high bandwidth movies, using Zoom, and things like that. I think it is more than fair to have people pay a small fee if they wish to work from the ship, etc...

Late to the party here...but here goes. Darn..so it looks like the dining experience on Viking Ocean isn't all that intimate? We typically like a "table for two" at meals that isn't elbow to elbow, etc... We were disappointed in the seating situation on our Viking River cruise...and resorted to trying to snag one of the few tables for two out on the terrace. We were mostly successful...but we had to "camp out" there well before dinner was served. Any venues on the Viking Ocean ships that have true "tables for two"? We don't really like the pseudo "tables for two" that are lined up and you nearly touch elbows, as you mentioned. We have had no problems with this on many other cruise lines...but this seems to be an issue on Viking. BTW - we are not antisocial or anything...and we socialize at the bars and lounges, etc... However, we do enjoy eating dinner in a more "intimate" setting.

Ok..I'll be that guy. 🤣 Mind telling me what "dressing smartly" means? We did a 2+ week trip to Europe in the summer of 2023 which included a river cruise and travel on our own. Guess what we brought? Travel backpacks...that's it. We traveled very light, which is a requirement in my opinion for independent travel in Europe. While we didn't dress in jeans, we did dress in "travel pants", etc... We didn't look like slobs, but we sure didn't bring formalwear. I'm certainly NOT a formalwear type of guy, and I absolutely am not bringing formalwear on any cruise whatsoever. And this is why I like Viking..they are much more "casual" than other luxury cruise lines, which are often FAR too "stuffy" for our tastes.🤷‍♂️ Awaiting your definition of "dressing smartly" means. Thanks!

Looking at our cruise docs, it says "TGS23-1". Unfortunately, I don't see the " "West Indies & the Iberian Peninsula" sailing available under that code anymore. If I recall, it was a very time limited offer...around the end of November.

Wow that is very unfortunate and dumb policy if true! Hopefully the bartenders will warn you if a drink will go over the SS covered amount!

Late to the party here...but if you do go over the $18 limit ( or whatever the SS limit is now ), I'm assuming you only pay for the overage...correct? This is how it has worked on other cruise lines ( Norwegian, etc... ). I'm guessing it works this way on Viking as well...but just making sure.

Just wanted to say...great writeup! Helped us decide to book the "West Indies & the Iberian Peninsula" TA sailing for March/April, 2024. Got an absolutely killer deal on it as well ( reduced rates, free air, free SS drink package, and the past customer discount ). https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/multi-region/west-indies-and-the-iberian-peninsula/index.html This itinerary doesn't have all that many stops...but the stops we do have look interesting, and we want to enjoy the ship anyway!

Also look for free airfare, reduced rates, and free beverage package deals. Sometimes you can snag all three! We have done that twice now. Some fantastic deals to be had...but the itinerary might not be optimal. There is also a deals thread where current promo codes are tracked, etc... See link below...it is a very good resource.

Interesting...thanks for the info! I'll have to look into Scenic further.

If you get a table where everyone gets along, then yeah...it can be great. If we have met folks and know we get along with them great, then a larger table is no problem. However, many have horror stories of big tables that are extremely uncomfortable due to folks having vastly different views...and of course, some folks can't just keep their mouths shut on topics they know are sensitive. Similar to the "weird uncle" at the Thanksgiving table...🤣. Therefore, quite a few of us don't want to deal with being seated at big tables with a bunch of strangers! Strangers is the key...like I said, if you meet folks beforehand and get along well, then I'd wager most don't have an issue with dining with them at a larger table. Personality type is key as well. I'm somewhat of an introvert, but can carry the table in conversation...but man sometimes it is work to do that for someone like me. 🤷‍♂️

We did take a river cruise this summer...and we were able to snag a table for two on the terrace each night. However, you have to be willing to "camp out" there well before dinner time. Yes...we were one of "those people" on our river cruise...but it had to be done. Plus, we really liked the terrace, so the wait was worth it! 🤷‍♂️ The interesting thing is that they ended up setting up a few more tables for two in the terrace area....word must have spread! You are correct though...it would be much nicer if they had tables for two in the main dining room.

Yep...we are really looking forward to the Chef's table! Heck, all of the dining venues look great to us.

Haha no doubt! My spouse and I really dislike shared tables for dining. I suppose we are both a bit introverted...but we do like socializing in the lounge/bar areas! 👍