jbeeg

Keep your hopes up!

we originally booked aft cabin penthouse, not haven, never would pay that price. Jewel, Dec 12. On 26Nov I perused the website, found a great price on a Haven 2 bedroom. But it appeared and disappeared constantly. Haven almost sold out. I called, on hold 1 hr. Then told I could upgrade for $350 total!!!!!! The agent was amazed too. A few days later I changed my upgrade bid, might as well try for a haven with a better balcony, looks like 2 bedroom has a tiny side facing balcony. 30 Nov, I saw a new email with documents, I downloaded and glanced at the cabin, now its a haven deluxe owners, large balcony, holy smokes! Yes, cost $, a total of $1300 each from the non-haven cabin which we got at a huge discount due to past discounts awarded for unknown reasons 🤭.

Last Haven cabin except the 3 bedroom! Keep your hopes up!

Panama canal! gonna be incredible!

2 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

Be careful you pay attention to the minutia.  I just did both mine and my wife's check-in info but somehow I got 11 - 11:30 and my wife got 12 - 12:30.  Didn't notice until I printed out our eDocs.  😏

same sort of thing with us. Horrible!

2 hours ago, CharTrav said:

You can also tell the steward what mix or no mix at all of pods you want. I ask them not to bring any decaf. Just an equal mix of regular and espresso. Or you can ask for one type only. All espresso, all decaf, all regular. The steward will be happy to comply. And make sure their partner is aware too (the stewards work in pairs). 

Unfortunately, not all stewards remember simple things like that. We had to repeatedly leave the same note regarding coffee, the fridge stocking and asking for filtered not chlorinated sink water in our daily carafe.Why put water straight from the sink into a carafe on the counter? The chlorine is obvious. I think we had a particularly "not quite with it" steward based on this and other exploits. Be prepared to write copious notes

We arrived in Reykjavik yesterday. Clear with chilly wind. Today we are taking Eastwest tours to Snaefellsnes peninsula. Another beautiful day. Warning against Arctic Adventure tours! I read something negative on line about them & now I have my own experience. On a 2 lane road, our van had to slam on breaks as their van passed us with oncoming traffic!!!  Our driver was pretty upset. Us too! A very close call. 

On 6/4/2019 at 7:29 PM, Liz Masterson said:

 

We are doing the train from Bergen to Oslo in 2020.  I'd like to know how you like it... I believe it is not exactly the same as "Norway in a Nutshell".  I'm trying to get details about that. But I am thinking if I do that and Flam it might be too much train time as well. 

 

Are you getting your flights and pre-cruise all through Viking... I have to make that decision in a few weeks.  I like the idea of doing it that way. IF THEY MAKE IT EASY. But if it's a hassle... maybe we're better off on our own.  I'm already thinking of adding a day to the beginning of the pre-cruise so I get 2 full days in Oslo instead of 1. Nice to have that extra day to rest for the journey... and there's a lot I'd like to see in Oslo!

 

 We are not doing Norway in a nutshell, just the train from Bergen to Oslo. Unfortunately we don’t have any extra time in Oslo as the flight that day is way less expensive than ones in the next few days. We have not booked air through any cruise line so I can’t  report on that. I will try to remember to post something about the train ride after we return. 

3 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

 

We are doing the train from Bergen to Oslo in 2020.  I'd like to know how you like it... I believe it is not exactly the same as "Norway in a Nutshell".  I'm trying to get details about that. But I am thinking if I do that and Flam it might be too much train time as well. 

 

Are you getting your flights and pre-cruise all through Viking... I have to make that decision in a few weeks.  I like the idea of doing it that way. IF THEY MAKE IT EASY. But if it's a hassle... maybe we're better off on our own.  I'm already thinking of adding a day to the beginning of the pre-cruise so I get 2 full days in Oslo instead of 1. Nice to have that extra day to rest for the journey... and there's a lot I'd like to see in Oslo!

 

 We are not doing Norway in a nutshell, just the train from Bergen to Oslo. Unfortunately we don’t have any extra time in Oslo as the flight that day is way less expensive than ones in the next few days. We have not booked air through any cruise line so I can’t  report on that. I will try to remember to post something about the train ride after we return. 

Anyone have an opinion of Flam excursions? Of course the train is the big thing, just wondering how that compares with possibly a fjord trip or... Lots of expensive things to do. Should have booked a train ticket on our own, but let too much time go by. We are taking the train from Bergen to Oslo, so that might be enough train!?

Glad the ship and passengers didn't encounter problems in the stormy seas!

Thank you for starting this thread. We will be onboard with Lotusgirl22 on the reverse trip back to Bergen. We too are packing for cold and hoping warm. Updates are greatly appreciated, shore excursions for sure. But enjoy your trip first!

Hello, We are Viking newbies on the Sky 8 June Iceland and Norway. I realize that people wear whatever they want to dinner (except shorts!) but would fleece sweaters be rather too casual for both men and women? We will need these during the day and assume we will need something warmish for dinner. Only have so much room in the suitcase 🤷‍♀️

Thank you for your guidance

I second that Caviargal. My phone calls to Oceania resulted in the same... "Cuba is a communist country and they have restrictions on travel. You have to stay with a US guide" NOT TRUE! (the latter part, that is)

Good point though, RJ2002, to be ready to report on your Cuba trip during a Global Entry interview.

Ouch! I see that Viking does anchor off Cienfuegos and tender to shore. They certainly could restrict access. That would be really a tough one. On the sunnier side, Viking does dock in Santiago de Cuba. Some direct communication to the right person at Viking is needed to determine if you can go ashore in Cienfuegos without a Viking tour!

I am going to post again about my experience on Oceania because I think its quite relevant. I have done a bit of research on the topic of Cuban visas or tourist cards for US citizens. As far as I can tell, they are all the same. They tell Cuban authorities that you have an definite arrival and departure date. That's the entire purpose except for money for whomever collects the fee. They all look alike if you are a US citizen. I have read that NCL & RCCL also steer passengers to buying their tours because they HAVE to tour with a US company. We were actually told on Oceania that when disembarking in Havana, we had to go down the left stairs to find the Oceania tours. If we went down the right stairs, well.... we might not be seen again. No joke. Of course, we went down the right stairs and there we were... in Havana. Along with Americans off the ship and Americans who flew to Cuba.

You will or already have checked a box in a form stating why you are going to Cuba. You have to keep this form and proof of what you did in the country for 5 years. Unless of course, you don't have any proof. Who exactly is going to ask for that? I doubt you will get a reply from Viking that is anything other than rote- you have to go with a US tour.

I know how worried we were about all of this, it was beginning to sour the Cuba experience. So we just went for it and were very happy with our trip. With both the private tours we took, we committed to them through email, but did not make any deposit. We paid in cash either before or after the tour started. We also just walked off the ship to go to music venues at night. Walked to one, taxied to the other. Cuba is a very safe place!

Speaking of cash, take Canadian or Euros (get them at a US bank) to exchange for Pesos to avoid the extra 10% surcharge to exchange US money (there is also a 3% charge on any currency exchange). Is there a thread on this?

A funny thing- as we were leaving Cuba in Santiago de Cuba, we had some Pesos to spend. There were some souvenir vendors right at the ship, after passing through customs. I guess they had taken some US dollars from tourists and now offered them to us straight exchange for our Pesos. We avoided buying stuff we didn't really want, they avoided paying 13% to exchange at currency offices. Wow!

As the bow of the ship slants backwards, I believe the cabin numbers are not the same above and below any certain cabin. So, yes, find out from Viking or find a photo, compare deck plans and count verandas as I did. Apparently, contacting Viking is the best choice, LOL

We are booked on the June 8 cruise. Sure would be nice if others would sign up for the roll call. I am so excited for this cruise, can it happen tomorrow?

I can't speak for Viking but we cruised to Cuba on Oceania in June. We were told repeatedly that we had to follow a US rule that we only travel with a US owned tour when we were off the ship. This was Oceania's way of selling tours I guess. They worked hard to scare us, but we never went on a Oceania tour, so expensive. I arranged tours beforehand with Cuban companies, both in Havana and Santiago de Cuba. We also just walked off the ship, hired a taxi and did whatever we wished. As we overnighted in both cities, we went out to hear local music both nights. Your cruise ship issued visa and passport must be with you. In Havana, they checked it the first time off, but waved us through after that... how did they know we had already been checked? It was checked every time in Santiago de Cuba and taken from us there as it was our last stop. Getting off and on ship was always an easy process.

Cienfuegos had just been hit by a tropical storm and our captain said we wouldn't go there because the harbor was unsafe. We loved our Cuba visit and highly recommend both cities.

I looked at a picture of the exterior of the ship and counted verandas to figure out if we had a slider or hinged door. Having little success with getting details from phone reps, I didn't consider calling, same with email. Glad to read of success for others.

thanks for all the feedback. We just like fresh air, sleep with the window open 365 here in OR. We would never just leave the door open while not in the cabin and are aware of the vacuum effect. We turn off the thermostat when the door is open. Glad to hear the cabins are so soundproof. In interesting perspective on the view from the couch, hope that helps those with the split glass. Just can't wait for our Iceland/Norway cruise next June. Now if some others will just join the roll call!

Thank you so much, Jim Avery and cocopico for your input. It sounds like a done deal. I'm so excited, I want to leave tomorrow, but alas, 10 months to wait. I didn't know about the slider needing to be closed... and latched, wow, oh well, minor inconvenience. I totally understand the climate control issue, drives me batty when folks have the a/c on and the door open!

Yes, thanks for that posting of cabins to avoid. I had noticed the ones with overhang. We are looking specifically at 5009, a few cabins behind the bridge overhang. Just wondering about the motion of the ship in high seas and the clanging of the anchor chain. BTW, I have noticed that some PV cabins have a slider door and others have a hinged door and fixed window with a wall between, breaking up the view. Also, in our opinion, the slider is better as it can be opened to different amounts and not have to be "propped" open. 5009 is slider, 5011 is hinged, at least it looks that way!

Greetings, we are first time Viking cruisers, traveling on the Sky, Iceland to Bergen June 2019. We currently have a DV cabin midships right at the stairs. I want more space, especially storage, and am considering upgrade to PV. The lowest price is a cabin very far forward, deck 5. Is this a bad idea for a switch? I have scoured the forum to read that heavy seas cause the anchor chain to clang and the bow of the ship to be smacked & tossed by waves. No predicting the weather, but we have never had a cabin on any ship (6 cruises) that far forward. I am a light sleeper, have gotten seasick, but a very rare occurrence in a small closed space. I really want more space/storage, but is this a potential problem. TIA

Just off the 4 day Sky. We ate at the MDR all nights. Service and food were all over the place. First 2 nights in Crossings, the service was very impersonal, the servers acting as if they didn't understand most of what we said to them. The food was ok. We switched to the Palace with its awful pink decor and found Joy who is an exceptional server. She was amazing in her customer service. Meanwhile the food got worse. I had a crab/seafood cake that was all potato. I never even heard of using potato for such a thing. I showed her a big chunk of potato and she brought a specially made substitute entree. Her service was amazingly quick.

People that we talked to about the specialty restaurants were very unhappy with their experiences. The service and food were no better than average MDR, so if you want to pay for intimacy, go ahead, but don't expect much if anything more. Actually, we never felt like we were in a large dinning room in the MDR as we were situated at tables that faced away from the larger part of the room. We only saw 2 or 3 other tables of people at each seating.

Just got home from Sky trip to Bahamas from Miami. Just about constant cricket on the tvs in public spaces. As we walked around the ship every day, maybe 2 tables of people watching at any time. We probably would have stopped for a drink in the afternoon if a major American sport was being shown. The Longboard bar was usually almost empty with cricket on all the tvs. With all those tvs, how about more than 1 sport shown? So many people onboard wore tshirts with names of colleges that have big Am football and basketball programs. How many of them would sit down to watch an American sport and buy a drink? NCL really doesn't get how to make money. Yes they charge $20 to use the water slide at GSC (The prices at GSC are just ridiculous), but no one ever tried to sell us a drink at dinner (even a polite suggestion). All those bars are on the ship for a reason, but with cricket on every tube, they were mostly empty.