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Viking newbie with many questions


LadyCarolingian
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Hello everybody,

 

Please pardon the long post! I am considering (like my wallet is 2 feet from my computer level of considering :D) Viking Star's January 4th Rome to Barcelona sailing. This would be my first Viking cruise, and my second overall. I did Holland America's Voyage of the Vikings crossing over the summer.

 

I would be traveling solo and so would have to accept the heavy single supplement. Frankly, I'm trying to figure out if it's worth it. I've contacted Viking with some of my questions, but haven't received any answers, and other questions are more of a "getting a feel" type.

 

I'm a professional historian and part of Viking's appeal is its interesting itineraries and reputation of culture-intensive tours and general enrichment. I know that a lot of the TED talks, etc., are loaded onto the ship's entertainment system for viewing in one's cabin, but what of on board "in person" activities such as lectures, etc.?

 

Regarding cabins: this is already super expensive, so I'll be looking at the lower categories. Can somebody comment on the difference between V1 and V2? According to their Viking descriptions, they're identical with no difference in perks or embarkation times, but I've read professional reviews that say that V1, contrary to Viking's website, does not have a mini bar (complimentary or otherwise), while V2 does (but whether it's complimentary is also unclear).

 

It seems from other posts that the included wine and beer is limited to meals only, and not something one can avail oneself of during happy hour or something similar. The sailing I'm considering has no sea days, so it'd probably just be dinner on board for me.

 

Lastly, if I do go ahead with this, I have two options for ways to book. One through my credit card company, which is offering generous bonus miles, and the other through a TA offering between $300-600 OBC. Other than alcohol, how many spending opportunities are available on board? I know I could use it toward shore excursions, but only once I'm aboard. How likely are the excursions to sell out?

 

Again, my apologies for the long post. I have wanted to try Viking for a while, and this early January sailing looks like it might be my best bet for the foreseeable future, but before committing such a sum, any "veteran" knowledge would be much appreciated!

 

Thanks!

Caroline

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Oh, do come with us on January 4th!

 

There is no difference between V1 and V2 except where they are on the ship and the only difference between V and DV are the amenities (such as V does get any advanced reservations for the specialty restaurants but making them on board will not be a problem). Within each category--V, DV, PV, PS, ES, etc. the amenities are the same and the number just gives some indication of where the cabin located on the ship; the lower the number, the higher the desirability of the cabin. All cabins have a veranda and other than you want the amenities of the higher cabins or more space, there is really no reason to book any higher. IMHO, there are no bad cabins on the ship and you will be treated the same no matter which if you are a V or an ES.

 

Mini-bar is free but re-stocking of it is not in the V (unless you buy the drinks package) while all other cabins come with daily replenishment.

 

Embarkation time is the same for all cabins 11 am. The difference among the categories is what time will your cabin be ready for occupancy; Viking says 3 pm for V cabins but their goal is to have all the cabins ready by 2pm (a goal which is met more often than not).

 

There will be at least one historian on board and perhaps more. Last year to the same area but longer cruise, we had four resident experts on board including an art historian and a pairs of historian. I did not attend any of the lectures so I can't comment on content; they are filed and repeated on the TV.

 

Shorex: There is no way to predict in advance which will sell out and which won't. OBC can be used for on board purchases but not for gratuities, so basically you can use it on shorex, bar tab and spa treatments (btw, the spa itself is free and open to all passengers).

 

BTW are you looking at the one week or the two week option?

 

Hope this helps.

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Yes, as Peregrina651 says, do come with us. While we have cruised a few times, this will be our first time with Viking. I am far from being a historian but my mind wanders in that direction when I pass an old run down house in the desert (we are from Northern Nevada). At one time that was someone's pride and joy. What is the story behind it?

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Yes, as Peregrina651 says, do come with us. While we have cruised a few times, this will be our first time with Viking. I am far from being a historian but my mind wanders in that direction when I pass an old run down house in the desert (we are from Northern Nevada). At one time that was someone's pride and joy. What is the story behind it?

 

Okay, what more information do you need to convince yourself to take the plunge? What else can we tell you? We are happy to answer any questions you might have.

 

If you do sign up, here's the link to the roll call for our sailing? https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2445711&page=4 It is kind of quiet but we are hoping that it will pick up as we get closer.

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Hello everybody,

Lastly, if I do go ahead with this, I have two options for ways to book. One through my credit card company, which is offering generous bonus miles, and the other through a TA offering between $300-600 OBC. Other than alcohol, how many spending opportunities are available on board? I know I could use it toward shore excursions, but only once I'm aboard. How likely are the excursions to sell out?

Caroline

 

Caroline,

While not a Viking expert I'm thinking that your choice is really not a choice. Book through your TA and use the CC that gives you the bonus miles. We've done that for all of our cruises.

Keith

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Caroline,

While not a Viking expert I'm thinking that your choice is really not a choice. Book through your TA and use the CC that gives you the bonus miles. We've done that for all of our cruises.

Keith

 

Actually, you have to be careful which credit card you use. Sometimes the banks involved deem it an international transaction hit your card with an international transaction fee. It is not a fee charged by Viking but by the credit card company. Make sure to use a credit card that does not charge foreign transaction fees. In truth, I've been thinking, the next time I book, I'm going to use the e-check option because the 3.3% is better than the points I get o the credit cards (which even with the 1.25 points per dollar spent is still less than 3.3% when redeemed.

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BTW are you looking at the one week or the two week option?

 

Peregrina, where can I find these options? I'm interested in this region but would like to have longer cruise and more ports. How it works? Thank you.

 

Sorry for highjacking OP's post.

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Peregrina, where can I find these options? I'm interested in this region but would like to have longer cruise and more ports. How it works? Thank you.

 

Sorry for highjacking OP's post.

 

The options can be found on the Viking website under the Mediterranean cruises: Iconic Cities (Barcelona to Rome), Southern Med Discovery (Rome to Barcelona) and the Med Exploration and Majestic Med (one is Barcelona to Barcelona and the other Rome to Rome). The first two are one week long and the other two are two weeks long (combining the two one week itineraries under its own name depending on the starting port).

 

We signed on for both before they bundled then and gave them fancy names. It is just marketing.

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The options can be found on the Viking website under the Mediterranean cruises: Iconic Cities (Barcelona to Rome), Southern Med Discovery (Rome to Barcelona) and the Med Exploration and Majestic Med (one is Barcelona to Barcelona and the other Rome to Rome). The first two are one week long and the other two are two weeks long (combining the two one week itineraries under its own name depending on the starting port).

 

We signed on for both before they bundled then and gave them fancy names. It is just marketing.

 

Thank you very much for a quick response! I will definitely check them out. :)

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I urge you if you are able to take the longer cruise....IMO it takes a day or two to ease into the rhythm of cruising and knowing which way to turn when you get off the elevator...and where to find earlier morning coffee or a great martini... longer cruises can really be relaxing,

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The art historian on board this past January gave two excellent lectures on the Rome to Barcelona leg; one on portraits but tying some pieces she discussed to the itinerary. I was disappointed that I had missed her other lecture. We were in whichever is the lowest V cabin level is. It was like the other V and DV cabins in layout and what was in the room and very comfortable. The contents of the fridge was not free but it was not anything we wanted anyway. Even in January we were able to enjoy some time and sail ins on the balcony. The Southern Med itinerary is very interesting but many on our cruise did the Barcelona to Barcelona option and enjoyed the second week as much as the first. If you like Scandinavian design, you will enjoy this ship.

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The art historian on board this past January gave two excellent lectures on the Rome to Barcelona leg; one on portraits but tying some pieces she discussed to the itinerary. I was disappointed that I had missed her other lecture. We were in whichever is the lowest V cabin level is. It was like the other V and DV cabins in layout and what was in the room and very comfortable. The contents of the fridge was not free but it was not anything we wanted anyway. Even in January we were able to enjoy some time and sail ins on the balcony. The Southern Med itinerary is very interesting but many on our cruise did the Barcelona to Barcelona option and enjoyed the second week as much as the first. If you like Scandinavian design, you will enjoy this ship.

 

In V, the contents of the mini-bar is yours; to have it refilled will cost you, unless you have the beverage package. If you don't have the package, you can always grab some extra cans of soda at mealtime. Viking also has a very liberal byo policy and you can bring your own 'potent potables'.

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We had a V cabin that included the mini-bar. We had our cabin steward trade out what we don't drink with what we do. It was nice to have, but if we had saved a lot by downgrading cabins we would not have missed it. The lower cabins were sold out, so we had no choice.

 

For shore excursions, their availability is based on the class of room you box; the higher you book, the sooner you can reserve excursions. The more interesting excursions you pay for do sell out; Viking will make sure that you will have a space on the included excursions.

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For the first time in our cruising life we actually applied for a downgrade for our next Viking cruise. The small differences between a DV and V did not justify the difference in price in my opinion. In fact our package in our next V cabin does include the Silver Beverage package so it may be that our refrigerator is restocked - but I don't think we used more than one can last time and replacements are easily obtainable. Also not being able to book shore excursions until 60 days out was not a worry to us. Restaurant reservations were easily made onboard last time. Not sure if we get a cashmere blanket, or a coffee maker or binoculars but didnt use these before either.

Just looking forward to a great cruise.

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For the first time in our cruising life we actually applied for a downgrade for our next Viking cruise. The small differences between a DV and V did not justify the difference in price in my opinion. In fact our package in our next V cabin does include the Silver Beverage package so it may be that our refrigerator is restocked - but I don't think we used more than one can last time and replacements are easily obtainable. Also not being able to book shore excursions until 60 days out was not a worry to us. Restaurant reservations were easily made onboard last time. Not sure if we get a cashmere blanket, or a coffee maker or binoculars but didnt use these before either.

Just looking forward to a great cruise.

 

That’s good to hear (from another Azamara fan). We have booked a last minute cruise, guarantee cabin, for next month without doing my usual research. It was just that the dates were perfect and this was the only cruise that fitted the bill. After booking and reading the differences in grades I was a little concerned but you have put my mind to rest. Thank you.

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For the first time in our cruising life we actually applied for a downgrade for our next Viking cruise. The small differences between a DV and V did not justify the difference in price in my opinion. In fact our package in our next V cabin does include the Silver Beverage package so it may be that our refrigerator is restocked - but I don't think we used more than one can last time and replacements are easily obtainable. Also not being able to book shore excursions until 60 days out was not a worry to us. Restaurant reservations were easily made onboard last time. Not sure if we get a cashmere blanket, or a coffee maker or binoculars but didnt use these before either.

Just looking forward to a great cruise.

 

You are welcome to borrow our coffee maker and binoculars just as long as you return them before we dock.;)

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That’s good to hear (from another Azamara fan). We have booked a last minute cruise, guarantee cabin, for next month without doing my usual research. It was just that the dates were perfect and this was the only cruise that fitted the bill. After booking and reading the differences in grades I was a little concerned but you have put my mind to rest. Thank you.

 

Hi, I think you will love Viking. The ship, crew, food, spa etc etc are wonderful. First love still Azamara because of the other passengers but its a close run thing.

 

Pam

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You are welcome to borrow our coffee maker and binoculars just as long as you return them before we dock.;)

 

Hi Peregrina,

What about the blanket ! I may need it as never cruised the Med in winter before. We never got to grips with the coffee maker and DH took his own small binoculars !

Getting excited about our cruise.

See you soon.

Pam

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Hi Peregrina,

What about the blanket ! I may need it as never cruised the Med in winter before. We never got to grips with the coffee maker and DH took his own small binoculars !

Getting excited about our cruise.

See you soon.

Pam

 

Sorry. The blanket is not part of the offer. I need it for nap time. :halo:

 

I'm getting excited, too. Who knows what the weather will be. Last year, Barcelona was in the mid-50s-60s any sunny for the duration of our stay and for the following week it cold (closer to freezing) and raining and they missed a port because of winds. A huge weather system had pushed down from the north. So, there is just no predicting.

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