Gigilovestotravel

On 8/23/2021 at 11:41 PM, BarbRN said:

Day 3. We had to see ships doctor great people. Nurses were good. Husband having a problem related to Previous cancer. Haven’t gotten to do a thing. Our fault. People are amazing. Rainy foggy chilly and tomorrow the same. What luck. Day 2 had no medical facilities but tomorrow will if needed. No TV today and in the room All day. Such service. Love it. 

Sorry to hear about health problems, Barb. Keep us posted.

2 hours ago, BarbRN said:

Arrived yesterday in Iceland. Transfers were smooth but there’s a lot to do and I was so exhausted from being awake 24 hours I just wanted to get on my room. We finally got to the ship and they had lunch for us and then you have to do the muster information. I thought it would never end and at 1 o’clock we finally got in our room. It wasn’t is nice of an arrival as the river cruises where people are lined up to help you do your room etc. but the ship is absolutely gorgeous.  You can walk around and look at artifacts and design for hours. Every single person you walk by that works here is accommodating and friendly and it’s immaculate. The food and service is beyond the best. We canceled some of the excursions because of the bus situation but most people have been gone all morning other than us that I know of. We are going to do a walking to tour tomorrow. It’s very chilly and rainy and overcast for two days about 50°F. The pools and hot tubs are open but nobody’s using them right now. I’m going to take this time to recover and renew from the trip getting here and get a massage today. My husband is having some health problems not related to Covid of course so we’re just chilling out and eating well. 

Glad you made it, Barb. 8 of us met in the Winter Garden yesterday. Having tea now and then to the historian lecture.

37 minutes ago, Camden lady said:

Has anyone else been told that Viking does not have their Verifly verification?  Filled mine and my sister on Aug 11.  Got the "ready to travel" for both of us.   Today got an email from Viking that we needed to do Verifly.  Called Verifly and was told they had a technical problem and they were not being sent to Viking.   Nothing I can do about it.  Said we will have to do the long embarkation process. Frustrating as I spent time jumping through their hoops for nothing.

Oh no! My Verifly still shows Ready to Travel. So sorry this happened to you.

2 hours ago, BarbRN said:

After all this stress my husband developed a serious health Issue to the cancer that we lost all our money to viking 5 years ago. 

Oh, so sorry to hear this! Best wishes to you both.

17 minutes ago, BarbRN said:

No kidding sound like me. We packed today. Don’t forget to cross pack with your roomie. Some people’s cases never arrive. 

Nails done here too. PCR tests on Wed. Final printing of docs for my carry-on folder.  Very excited!

12 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Much of the Circle tour is outside, not on the bus.  On Vigur you can sit outside in the back if you're early enough in line for that or nobody else wants to sit there.  I loved it back there, though I had to get up and stand at the door to hear the local guide - but not the guide on the island, who is different.  Vigur is mostly outside and when not, is quick visits inside to eat a yummy snack or see eider down process equipment/info.  Our Heimaey boat excursion was a little crowded with people sitting outside, which is where most people sit.  But if you're uncomfortable, you CAN move around, or sit inside.  But being outside is good, so I was fine with it and enjoyed the scenery and opportunity to take pictures.  But of course, if you're on a bus and someone tests positive, it looks like Iceland considers that reason to quarantine everyone, so the risk is still there.

 

I think you can actually cancel Reykjavik excursions on the day you embark, maybe up to 6 PM.  But check your Viking Daily when you get on the ship or call or visit Explorers Desk to make sure.  I did, however, find that Viking was kind of lenient on canceling a little late, although I only tried it once. 

 

I just posted feedback on the excursions I took in another thread.  I personally think you should do the Circle Tour, but even if you don't, you can see some similar things by taken a few excursions in other ports -- and the scenery EVERYWHERE is fabulous....

Where did you post your feedback on excursions, please? Time for me to do some more research!

1 hour ago, BQEC said:

We need a video of the poor people who were quarantined off the Malta cruise. Reportably washing their clothes in the tub, no service for their room and trying to purchase cleaning supplies. There but for the grace of God and cruise critic go I. 

You can see her videos on her Facebook page -- Carly Walsh, Volleyball coach at Texas Tornados Volleyball

Just now, KarNog said:

Hey, hang in there. What's your cruise date? I'm going on the 8/21. I think we're gonna be fine. If I have to sit on the balcony all day and drink wine/eat lobster, then I hope you're on the balcony next to us.

8/21 with you!

4 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

There may be things you can do to minimize risk: spread out more on the excursion coaches (it IS usually possible), take the lesser popular excursions or outdoor excursions, and possibly take mid-day excursions as they're more likely to be less popular/populated.  Vigur Island boat and Heimaey Wildlife of Heimaey boat were fairly close encounters.  But if you can grab them early, outdoor seats are available on the Vigur boat, and outdoor is probably a little better than indoor when it comes to safety.  As an avid photographer, I liked it back there, although it was hard to hear the guide when she spoke to the group.   On the Heimaey boat, we were allowed to stand, walk around, or sit downstairs - so there ARE options.  For tendering, you can be fairly close together, but sometimes you can sit somewhere farther away from people.  And the tenders run pretty frequently, so if you see a crowded boat, you can wait for another, unless Iceland or Viking wants the bubble so tight that you MUST tender with your group. 

 

In the end, though, I think you just have to act safely and hope for the best.  

Thank you for all of this info. It is too late for me to cancel the cruise without losing all my money. Instead I canceled the all-day Circle Tour (which I really wanted). Then I'll watch each day and decide before the 24-hour limit whether to cancel the next day excursion. I have walking tours, Vigur Island, and Heimay (sp) by Boat. My husband prefers the World Cafe so we've never eaten in the Restaurant yet.

30 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

Just got an email from Viking for the June 26 cruisers with a checklist of what we should be doing and bringing with us.  It includes the following:

 

Travel Document Preparation

• Valid Passport (Passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your planned trip dates.)
• Confirmation of pre-registration for visiting Iceland – Either print your barcode or have the email confirmation available to click the link and show upon arrival to Iceland.
• Proof of FDA/WHO approved COVID-19 vaccine
• Cruise Itinerary (Viking Journey Summary emailed to you by Viking) – to verify your "Address in Iceland"

Tip: While digital documents on your phone are accepted, they will slow your clearance through the checkpoints in the Iceland arrival terminal, so we suggest printing your documentation and having it available throughout your journey.

 

what it the “Cruise Itinerary” they say they emailed us?  I don’t seem to have such an email or summary.  I have the printout of the calendar from MVJ, but that’s all.

The Cruise Itinerary is p. 4 of the multipage Summary, one of the attachments Viking recently emailed with all of your Cruise documents.

Thank you for this Live stream and all the helpful advice. We'll arrive this Saturday morning, ready to start the first travel adventure of 2021! Looking forward to meeting some of you about 5ish in the Explorers Lounge. Packed raincoat and waterproof sox, here I come!

Yes same sailing Gail.

Hooray! And based on the comments offered here, I've booked our excursions to the Odessa Opera House. A ballet will be the performance that night. Looks lovely.

Thanks to all for the advice.

We are also booked on the Sineus but later in September and finding these comments and reviews very useful. Thanks.

I just found this review thread and was happy to find so many reasoned comments with good information. We are on on the Sept. 24th sailing. You also?

Gail

Thanks for the thorough comparison, eaglewatchers. We have been on 5 Viking river cruises and are about to go on our first ever ocean cruise on the Viking Sea. We love the intimacy of the river cruises as well as easy access to major cities. Looking forward to this new type of cruise. All travel is a gift indeed.