Tips for New Viking Ocean Cruisers

What was amusing to me was how they have their horn set up to play the opening notes to "If You Wish Upon a Star". [emoji1] The Sky was docked opposite from and on the other side of Dodge Island from the Disney terminal (terminal J). Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Oh, I missed that - turned to webcam too late. I know RCL likes to send its ships to a port in pairs and then have a honk fest with big waving hands when they depart a port. It's kind of amusing, although I'm glad Viking doesn't do anything like that!

Next time I cruise from Miami I'm going to try to remember to turn on the webcam to see myself leave the port!

On our Cuba cruise, I think we came back to terminal J, but left from "the lineup" along with the usual assortment of RCL, Carnival and Norwegian ships.

Oh, I missed that - turned to webcam too late. I know RCL likes to send its ships to a port in pairs and then have a honk fest with big waving hands when they depart a port. It's kind of amusing, although I'm glad Viking doesn't do anything like that!

 

 

 

Next time I cruise from Miami I'm going to try to remember to turn on the webcam to see myself leave the port!

 

 

 

On our Cuba cruise, I think we came back to terminal J, but left from "the lineup" along with the usual assortment of RCL, Carnival and Norwegian ships.

When we did Viking Homelands in 2016 and were in Warnemünde, the Star and another ship got into what I'd call a playful tooting contest. I found it amusing.

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Great thread, thanks. Taking our first-ever cruise vacation soon on Sky from Miami, I'd be grateful for any information on the following:

 

1) Keycards: I read elsewhere that you shouldn't punch a hole in Viking keycards to avoid damaging RFID circuitry? Has anyone punched a hole and had it still work?

 

2) I understand even if we decide not to book spa treatments, we should still be able to use sauna, loungers and other communal amenities of the spa that don't require a reservation. Can anyone confirm?

 

3) For a week-long cruise in the Caribbean, how much $ in small bills should we plan to bring for tips? We will use room service a few times and will be taking 3-4 shore excursions. $100? $200?

 

4) When disembarking back in Miami, can an Uber get close enough to pick us up such that we don't need to walk more than 100-200 yards from the ship? Where do we reclaim our luggage from if we have Viking pick it up from our room the night before?

 

5) I did not see our cruise listed in the Roll Call section of this site. At less than 3 weeks out, is this unusual? Other Viking cruises immediately before and after ours are listed.

 

 

Thanks for any input.

1. Don't mess with your keycards. At all!

2. Yes. The only thing which requires a reservation are things involving a fee, i.e., special spa treatments Inc massages.

3. Room service is included. No tip required or expected. What we've tipped the excursion guides depends on its length. $10 if all day; $5 if 1/2 day. Dollars work fine. When purchasing things on shore - some people places will take credit cards, some won't. The port talks will advise you which.

4. A taxi should be able to drive right up to terminal door entrance. We were in terminal J. There is clearly a police presence there to make sure nobody gets close to the ships themselves. The terminal connects to the ship by a bridge that goes over to the ship.

5. If somebody - a passenger - hasn't started a Roll Call for your cruise - then perhaps you should. I am surprised that somebody hasn't done it. But it is not done by CC Forum. Roll Calls just like any other forum topic are initiated by Forum members.

I am writing this from the World Cafe on the Sky while finishing my dinner.

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Great thread, thanks. Taking our first-ever cruise vacation soon on Sky from Miami, I'd be grateful for any information on the following:

 

1) Keycards: I read elsewhere that you shouldn't punch a hole in Viking keycards to avoid damaging RFID circuitry? Has anyone punched a hole and had it still work?

 

2) I understand even if we decide not to book spa treatments, we should still be able to use sauna, loungers and other communal amenities of the spa that don't require a reservation. Can anyone confirm?

 

3) For a week-long cruise in the Caribbean, how much $ in small bills should we plan to bring for tips? We will use room service a few times and will be taking 3-4 shore excursions. $100? $200?

 

4) When disembarking back in Miami, can an Uber get close enough to pick us up such that we don't need to walk more than 100-200 yards from the ship? Where do we reclaim our luggage from if we have Viking pick it up from our room the night before?

 

5) I did not see our cruise listed in the Roll Call section of this site. At less than 3 weeks out, is this unusual? Other Viking cruises immediately before and after ours are listed.

 

 

Thanks for any input.

Let me add this - an update received with our Viking Daily tonight. That our berthing location in Miami has been changed from Terminal J to pier 59. It is on the far end of and on the opposite side from Terminal J. We are assured that it will be served by taxis and a shuttle service that runs around the port.

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1. Don't mess with your keycards. At all!

2. Yes. The only thing which requires a reservation are things involving a fee, i.e., special spa treatments Inc massages.

3. Room service is included. No tip required or expected. What we've tipped the excursion guides depends on its length. $10 if all day; $5 if 1/2 day. Dollars work fine. When purchasing things on shore - some people places will take credit cards, some won't. The port talks will advise you which.

4. A taxi should be able to drive right up to terminal door entrance. We were in terminal J. There is clearly a police presence there to make sure nobody gets close to the ships themselves. The terminal connects to the ship by a bridge that goes over to the ship.

5. If somebody - a passenger - hasn't started a Roll Call for your cruise - then perhaps you should. I am surprised that somebody hasn't done it. But it is not done by CC Forum. Roll Calls just like any other forum topic are initiated by Forum members.

 

I am writing this from the World Cafe on the Sky while finishing my dinner.

 

 

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Let me correct what I said about keycards. I'm on the Sky now and seeing folks who have punched a hole in their keycard and have it on a lanyard. Clearly it hasn't been causing them problems. So I take back what I said.

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Let me correct what I said about keycards. I'm on the Sky now and seeing folks who have punched a hole in their keycard and have it on a lanyard. Clearly it hasn't been causing them problems. So I take back what I said.

 

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I think I've read somewhere on these forums that you can take you card to a Viking crew member and have them punch the hole. That way you know it doesn't go through something important. I'd include a link, but I can't remember where I read it. :o You could try a search.

Char Trav, when are you scheduled to come back to Miami? I just looked at the Port of Miami on marinetraffic.com and there are quite a lot of ships there today (Saturday) but not any Viking ships. A Regent ship is at terminal J, and Celebrity, MSC, 2 Carnivals and a Norwegian ship are on the other side. If you come back tomorrow, maybe I'll take a peek on the port webcam.

Yes, there will be plenty of cabs. They find each ship.

I imagine the chip in the key card is wherever they point the scanner when you leave (middle of card?) For people wanting to use a lanyard, I'd just let the staff punch the keycard, just to be safe. People can also use a name tag type holder, where the keycard simply slides in - no punching needed, and can be transferred to a pocket or wallet if needed.

Char Trav, when are you scheduled to come back to Miami? I just looked at the Port of Miami on marinetraffic.com and there are quite a lot of ships there today (Saturday) but not any Viking ships. A Regent ship is at terminal J, and Celebrity, MSC, 2 Carnivals and a Norwegian ship are on the other side. If you come back tomorrow, maybe I'll take a peek on the port webcam.

 

Yes, there will be plenty of cabs. They find each ship.

 

I imagine the chip in the key card is wherever they point the scanner when you leave (middle of card?) For people wanting to use a lanyard, I'd just let the staff punch the keycard, just to be safe. People can also use a name tag type holder, where the keycard simply slides in - no punching needed, and can be transferred to a pocket or wallet if needed.

I saw some pictures posted by someone yesterday who had just returned from one of the Cruises and they had on bright blue lanyards which had "Viking Cruises" written in white on the fabric part and clear plastic cases where the key card goes. This is exactly what I used last year but I used a lanyard from another venue I had been on.

Karine had noticed some of us had them on on and seemed very interested. Maybe they are now providing them for cruisers.

Oh, a word of caution. DO not punch a hole in the card yourself. A few people on our cruise did and it made their card not work and also messed up their spouse's card (not punched). If you want it punched, get some one in the staff to do it. Some of them at the service desks will know how.

Char Trav, when are you scheduled to come back to Miami? I just looked at the Port of Miami on marinetraffic.com and there are quite a lot of ships there today (Saturday) but not any Viking ships. A Regent ship is at terminal J, and Celebrity, MSC, 2 Carnivals and a Norwegian ship are on the other side. If you come back tomorrow, maybe I'll take a peek on the port webcam.

 

Yes, there will be plenty of cabs. They find each ship.

 

I imagine the chip in the key card is wherever they point the scanner when you leave (middle of card?) For people wanting to use a lanyard, I'd just let the staff punch the keycard, just to be safe. People can also use a name tag type holder, where the keycard simply slides in - no punching needed, and can be transferred to a pocket or wallet if needed.

On other cruise lines we have had the whole punched, but for this cruise we aren't taking a chance. My husband got a bunch of those clear ID holders that will work with our lanyard clips on eBay :cool:

Char Trav, when are you scheduled to come back to Miami? I just looked at the Port of Miami on marinetraffic.com and there are quite a lot of ships there today (Saturday) but not any Viking ships. A Regent ship is at terminal J, and Celebrity, MSC, 2 Carnivals and a Norwegian ship are on the other side. If you come back tomorrow, maybe I'll take a peek on the port webcam.

 

 

 

We're due back tomorrow. In Nassau right now. Sea conditions prevented us from docking in Jamaica or anchoring in Grand Cayman. So we had three sea days (counting the one from Cartagena) traveling to Nassau passing between Cuba and Haiti and then traveling north of all the little islands in the Bahama chain. Not exactly rough seas but enough that everyone walked with a lurch left and right (and repeat) pretty much all 3 days.

Excursions here are completely DIY. Viking tried but there are now three other cruise ships here - big ones - and any excursions Viking might have arranged were booked. So they handed out a map with guidance about taxis, shuttles to Atlantis, etc. It was the best they could do under the circumstances.

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I imagine euros, and often USD, are accepted on the island of Saint Martin, although the exchange rate may be poor and you may get change in local money no matter what currency you use. However, just for information purposes, part of the island is a territory (or something like that) that is associated with France and the other part (including Philipsburgh, where cruises go) is associated with the Netherlands. Therefore, I think two types of money are used on the island - euros in Saint Martin (French) and some other form of money in Sint Maarten (Dutch). For excursion tips, I would just keep it simple and use USD, but only bills, no coins.

USD work for everywhere on St Martin.

I have question for those of you who have done the San Juan to San Juan West Indies Explorer. I know there is a welcome aboard dinner and usually a farewell dinner. What nights are these on? I've also heard lobster mentioned - this would interest me greatly :D

I'm also wondering about the excursions that involve a beach stop. Did you wear your bathing suit under your clothes? Was there a place to change after?

Probably have more questions, but those were ones on the top of my head!

On other cruise lines we have had the whole punched, but for this cruise we aren't taking a chance. My husband got a bunch of those clear ID holders that will work with our lanyard clips on eBay :cool:

I found a nice clay beaded lanyard on eBay a few years ago. I love my key card holder! Here's a link to a picture:http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/image/165572124

We're due back tomorrow. In Nassau right now.

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Forgot to look for Sky this morning, but here she is around 5pm EST, being dwarfed by the departing Carnival Vista ship!

http://www.pbase.com/roothy123/image/166889404

Let me correct what I said about keycards. I'm on the Sky now and seeing folks who have punched a hole in their keycard and have it on a lanyard. Clearly it hasn't been causing them problems. So I take back what I said.

 

 

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I think you're partially right. On our last Star cruise I went to have a hole punched and they seemed to know where the 'thread' that runs through it to the chip is. You can't puncture that or the card is done. My first cruise on Star they didn't realize that and I finally gave up after the third one. I think you're safe now if you have the folks at the desks do it.

I think you're partially right. On our last Star cruise I went to have a hole punched and they seemed to know where the 'thread' that runs through it to the chip is. You can't puncture that or the card is done. My first cruise on Star they didn't realize that and I finally gave up after the third one. I think you're safe now if you have the folks at the desks do it.

Good. So my first response, which was to leave it alone, wasn't that bad - it was certainly the safest based on my own experience with smart cards.

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Folks if you have a breakable souvenir, tell staff before it goes through X-ray. I lost a beautiful glass sculpture because the roller was defective and it fell to the ground.

I read on one of these pages (read so many today) a great tip regarding packing an extension cord, so we have enough outlets. I thought that was a great idea until I was reading the “what can I bring” list on the My Viking Journey site. We cannot bring extension cords on board? I wonder why?:confused:

I read on one of these pages (read so many today) a great tip regarding packing an extension cord, so we have enough outlets. I thought that was a great idea until I was reading the “what can I bring” list on the My Viking Journey site. We cannot bring extension cords on board? I wonder why?:confused:

I think you will find plenty of outlets. Viking ships have so many more than I have seen on any ship.

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That’s good to know. Thank you:)

I think you will find plenty of outlets. Viking ships have so many more than I have seen on any ship.

 

 

 

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And, if you bring a couple of adapters, you can use the 220 outlets for charging things if you use up all of the 120v and USB outlets.

Yes, Purchase an EU adaptor for the "other" outlets in your cabin. Just read the item your charging to ensure it is capable of accepting 220. My iPhone 6 is OK, Mike's electric razor is Ok, however our electric tooth brush is not. Read the label first.

And, if you bring a couple of adapters, you can use the 220 outlets for charging things if you use up all of the 120v and USB outlets.

Didn't you post a picture before of them? 2 USB ports (an EU outlet too?) on each side of the bed with one USB port for each pair is 2.1Amps. Two 120v outlets in the left side of the desk next to two 220v outlets (one dedicated to the quiet voice charger). On the right side of the desk is another 220v outlet just behind the desk lamp. Note that this lamp along with the outlet is always live; it is not affected by the master switch at the door. The lamp and that outlet do not turn off when you pull your key out of the slot by the door. So if you want to leave a camera battery (for ex) charging while you're out for the day, use that outlet with your EU adapter.

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Didn't you post a picture before of them?

 

 

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Many times, in various threads.

I know the desk lamp stays on but on the Star this past month, I don't remember seeing any outlets on it. As ship #1, sometimes things are different. Maybe someone who is currently aboard the Star can double check the desk lamp and report the absence or presence of outlet.

Many times, in various threads.

 

I know the desk lamp stays on but on the Star this past month, I don't remember seeing any outlets on it. As ship #1, sometimes things are different. Maybe someone who is currently aboard the Star can double check the desk lamp and report the absence or presence of outlet.

I've been on Star twice, and both times our desk lamp had five USB outlets/ports in the base. I don't remember a regular outlet.

When we did the maiden from Istanbul to Venice in April 2015, we had no bedside outlets, but a panel had been installed on the nightstands somewhere between that first cruise and my recent one in October. It was a nice addition, and one I think came installed on subsequent ships.