On board The Star

[toby4352]

We got a second coin but I can't be sure when we received it - I think it was for sea trials perhaps a month or two ago. I don't keep them. We never sailed with Viking and are not past customers. We booked with Viking and then immediately moved the booking to our TA. Our booking was July 2013. Hope this helps.

We are past Viking River Cruise passengers (and a TA). We booked in June 2013 for our DV cabin, we board the Viking Homelands cruise on July 25th. We have gotten 2 coins from Viking, one for the Keel and one for the Sea trials. We never got an email or any notice before the first one.

When one of our fellow cruisers said they had gotten a coin, we thought he was joking. Ours showed up a week later....it all seems very random.

 

Of the 6 couples sailing together 4 have gotten at least one of the two coins. But I can't see how they decide who gets what. The men are joking they could use them for large tie tacks or lapel pins....LOL. Maybe we gals can make dangling earrings and stretch out our earlobes....??

[washashorehouse]

Does anyone know why we have not been able to upload or download anything on the internet for the past 6 days? The desk doesn’t seem to know anything about it!!

 

Does anyone know anything about the ship’s christening --- Viking has told us nothing, but what else is new?

[id4elizabeth]

Went to the Concierge desk tonight to arrange for Viking to call a cab for us at 7:45 to go to the train station as we are doing the Norway in a Nutshell trip. Was told they don't arrange for cabs for customers. We will have to flag one down ourselves. What a crack Concierge Desk!

[cassandra44]

Went to the Concierge desk tonight to arrange for Viking to call a cab for us at 7:45 to go to the train station as we are doing the Norway in a Nutshell trip. Was told they don't arrange for cabs for customers. We will have to flag one down ourselves. What a crack Concierge Desk!

It should be fine if taxis are lined up outside the terminal building (if there is one) but the Concierge desk should have had that information for you.

We are booked on the early train to Oslo after we disembark and we really hope there won't be any problem with taxis since we have to drop off our luggage by 7:15 am across from the rail station.

Have they assured you that the baggage will be readily available when you disembark? It would also be helpful to know how long it might take to clear customs....I assume you are on that early train too....

[id4elizabeth]

We are only doing the Norway in a Nutshell as a day's excursion since Viking cancelled our Norwegian Fjord sail to Flamm. So we don't have to worry about luggage - just a day pack. We don't disembark until Stockholm. I did not notice any cabs at the port terminal when we left on our walking tour this morning, but hopefully since it's an disembarkation day, there will be cabs there. Our train leaves at 8:43.

[TERRIER1]

Went to the Concierge desk tonight to arrange for Viking to call a cab for us at 7:45 to go to the train station as we are doing the Norway in a Nutshell trip. Was told they don't arrange for cabs for customers. We will have to flag one down ourselves. What a crack Concierge Desk!

 

I would like to say that Viking Oceans is a real Mickey Mouse operation but that would disparage Disney Cruise Lines which runs a very good tight ship :p

[LadyVol1]

I've been on the ship since April 11 and didn't even know there was a Concierge desk (or Concierge). I guess I haven't missed anything!!

[filbert-kc]

I would like to say that Viking Oceans is a real Mickey Mouse operation but that would disparage Disney Cruise Lines which runs a very good tight ship :p

 

You have to admit though, tonight's two-hour harbor cruise by the Viking Star was pretty unique. I've been on cruise ships for well over 500 days total and I've never seen anything quite like it.

[TERRIER1]

You have to admit though, tonight's two-hour harbor cruise by the Viking Star was pretty unique. I've been on cruise ships for well over 500 days total and I've never seen anything quite like it.

 

Was this an included excursion or did the Viking Star actually sail around the harbor? Thanks.

[washashorehouse]

Went to the Concierge desk tonight to arrange for Viking to call a cab for us at 7:45 to go to the train station as we are doing the Norway in a Nutshell trip. Was told they don't arrange for cabs for customers. We will have to flag one down ourselves. What a crack Concierge Desk!

 

That is not true!! They called for a taxi for a couple this morning while I was waiting to speak with someone at the Explorer desk. I was there so long I even saw them tell the couple when the taxi arrived outside and that they then should proceed outside to it.

[filbert-kc]

Was this an included excursion or did the Viking Star actually sail around the harbor? Thanks.

 

The ship pulled in the gangway, pulled up the lines, and crept up the Vagen to a point right in front of Bryggen, where she appeared to maneuver very, very carefully for about an hour in the tight space (trying to figure out how to dock/tie up? Dry run for Sunday Night's festivities? I don't know!) before returning to her original berth.

 

It was . . . curious.

 

Wife and I first learned of this 9:30-11:30 pm expedition at 7:05 pm local time, via PA announcement while at dinner at The Restaurant. By happenstance, we had decided to return to the ship for dinner after our 2:30 pm walking tour, instead of seeing what Friday nights were like in Bergen. We had NO notice of the ship's gangway being unavailable for two hours tonight when we left the ship at 2:30 pm. We would have had no idea what our ship was doing if we had stayed in town to eat supper. I confess I really don't know what tonight's Viking Sun departure-and-return was supposed to achieve.

 

"It's the Viking Way."

Edited May 16, 2015 by filbert-kc

[TERRIER1]

The ship pulled in the gangway, pulled up the lines, and crept up the Vagen to a point right in front of Bryggen, where she appeared to maneuver very, very carefully for about an hour in the tight space (trying to figure out how to dock/tie up? Dry run for Sunday Night's festivities? I don't know!) before returning to her original berth.

 

It was . . . curious.

 

Wife and I first learned of this 9:30-11:30 pm expedition at 7:05 pm local time, via PA announcement while at dinner at The Restaurant. By happenstance, we had decided to return to the ship for dinner after our 2:30 pm walking tour, instead of seeing what Friday nights were like in Bergen. We had NO notice of the ship's gangway being unavailable for two hours tonight when we left the ship at 2:30 pm. We would have had no idea what our ship was doing if we had stayed in town to eat supper. I confess I really don't know what tonight's Viking Sun departure-and-return was supposed to achieve.

 

"It's the Viking Way."

 

These people are crazy. Who gives absolutely no notification and then pulls away for two hours with no access to the ship. This cruise line is scary. I am looking forward to seeing the Baltic in July but not on sailing Viking.

[rlevin47]

Bookmark the twitter page for Viking cruise.

Here is the first video....stay tuned... you all are in for a treat.:D

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uq7jzSbT_xw&feature=youtu.be

Hi

 

Tried to watch your video it said it was private?

[Azulann]

Hi

 

Tried to watch your video it said it was private?

 

Sorry about that. I took it from the Viking twitter page at #Star

 

https://twitter.com/vikingriver

Hope this link works and it is the first video today, with picture of the mayor of Bergen and owner of Viking Cruise on the front.

[filbert-kc]

These people are crazy. Who gives absolutely no notification and then pulls away for two hours with no access to the ship. This cruise line is scary. I am looking forward to seeing the Baltic in July but not on sailing Viking.

 

I was told it was, in fact, a test run for repositioning the ship to behind the main stage that's set up for the May 17/Constitution Day celebration in Bergen, for the christening ceremony on Sunday night.

 

It's definitely not something I've ever seen any other cruise ship do, but then I guess I've never before seen a brand new cruise line christen its first ship at a country's major national holiday celebration, either, so I suppose we'll definitely have to put it in the "you don't see something like THIS every day!" category.

[id4elizabeth]

Got off the Star this morning, and outside the terminal there was ONE cab who was already spoken for and would not take us. The hardworking Viking person on the ground got on her walkie talkie and ordered 2 cabs for the 6 of us. They took about 15 minutes to come. This is a pattern I find with Viking - the person I had spoken to last night who basically said "we don't do cabs" was a 'higher up' (recognize her from previous events), while the person on the ground was a 'worker bee' who was trying her best. I find this pattern all the time - the staff tries to be as helpful as they can, while management just smiles and says they'll look into it.

 

Norway in a Nutshell was very easy to pull off - not at all intimidating logistically. You board a train, then switch to a bus, then a ferry boat, then the Flam railroad, then switch trains to get back to Bergen. Sounds really complicated, but was actally very easy. Just a matter of walking across the train platform to the next waiting train. Weather did not cooperate today - rather cloudy and rainy - cold too. Ferry boat was quite crowded as everyone wanted to be inside. Scenery and waterfalls were spectacular despite the almost constant rain. But we enjoyed the day - very glad we did it.

[algaes]

I was reading some comments about the difficulty in finding out what is going on in Bergen tomorrow right before I shut down my computer (they are off topic in other threads) and tried to go to sleep. But I had to get up and power up my computer the more I thought about the frustration of the posters.

 

Those of us posting from the 50 day cruise have been told to own our own experiences, make lemonade, should have realized what a maiden cruise would be like, etc... But never in 10,000 lifetimes would I have thought Viking Star would drop the ball on Bergen.

 

This ship for two+ years has been aiming for tomorrow. The planned visit to Flam we were sold 2+ years ago was dropped to maximize Viking Star's visit to Bergen. I've researched and selected private or Viking provided tours for every day EXCEPT tomorrow, Constitution Day in Bergen and Star's christening.

 

While we have been provided numerous gifts this evening along with a letter and detailed itinerary of Star's events, there is not one lick of detailed information about the community's events especially the Children's Parade that is the highlight of the event. All Viking Daily says is "10:30 ...Enjoy the festivities ashore...the parade ends at Festival Square..." No map of the parade route relative to Star's pier position, no indication that there are actually multiple parades, no indication of parade start and end times, no listing of other community events throughout the day. Just a 10:30am blurb.

 

Based on prior parades, where are reasonable viewing opportunities, what should one expect if you go to Festival Square (I'm sure that's not it's actual place name in Noorwegian)? While all the resources of Star are mustered to get passenger to ship events, there isn't even a lowly shuttle assigned to get passengers to the vicinty of Festival Square.

 

In summary, the vast majority of information and effort about tomorrow is inwardly looking at Viking and Star. For me, forget the damn infinity pool, hot and snow spa, specialty restaurants, pianist, classical trio, decor, and groovy evening club. I and others who bought completely into the cultural immersion promise of Viking returned from dinner and saw what was placed in rooms were left spending tonight trying to figure out how we could experience Bergen's and Norway's holiday tomorrow. And it's not like we weren't asking for info for several days before today.

 

While the new passengers have a Guest Emergency Drill at 9:45 - 10:15 (see you ashore later), those of us continuing passengers could get up and wander the town - it's not that big. But I'm worn out about this turn of events because, for me, this really is not different from what passengers been thru before such as tours to sights closed on that day, 2 hour drives to see something at a different location that day, tours cut short because we couldn't get off the ship on time, etc.

 

Ownership by Viking of the port experiences is not there and I'm not certain near future travellers will see anything changed. I was told there were surveys about tours in the first week or so but I was mostly on independent tours then. I guarantee I never saw a tour by tour survey request since Athens when I've been more involved with Viking tours.

 

Read the Pollyanna press reviews carefully and they are about the ship this and the ship that and not really so much about the cultural journey.

 

Yes, I could have exercised more care and done my own research on what is happening in Bergen tomorrow but I didn't. I should have but I didn't and that makes me sad. Good night and I hope I feel more upbeat tomorrow!

 

P.S. My first priority tomorrow is to find out why we don't have excursion tickets for Stavenger, the stop after Bergen. With hundreds of new passengers onboard today, it is possible Explorer's Desk will be busy.

[Ukalady]

When you maiden voyage passengers get to the Warnemunde/Berlin port would you please check into these questions for me? We're traveling with Viking Star beginning May 30 and I have everything pretty well planned *except* for Berlin.

 

Thanks for your help!

 

--Please ask those taking the "Berlin Your Way" passengers what time they arrived in Berlin. Was travel via bus?

 

--Please ask those same pax if they had the option to be dropped off before the short "orientation" tour and skip it? Was that tour in the bus or on the ground?

 

--Where was the end of day meeting point (I won't hold you to it, I understand it may be totally different when we get there; I'm just trying to get an idea) and at what time?

 

Mom and I are hoping to be able to join up with the well-respected four-hour "Berlin Insider" walking tour (http://www.insidertour.com/tours.php/cat/27/id/40/title/Tourdetails) which begins at 10 am on the west side (near S+U Zoologischer Garten train station) or at 10:30 am on the east side (near Hakescher Market train station). Your answers will help us know if it's a possibility.

 

Mahalo nui loa!

[toby4352]

We are only doing the Norway in a Nutshell as a day's excursion since Viking cancelled our Norwegian Fjord sail to Flamm. So we don't have to worry about luggage - just a day pack. We don't disembark until Stockholm. I did not notice any cabs at the port terminal when we left on our walking tour this morning, but hopefully since it's an disembarkation day, there will be cabs there. Our train leaves at 8:43.

I'm sorry to see Viking cancelled the Flamm fjord cruise...we are on the July 25 cruise and we are planning on the full day rail trip to Voss. We can book it this Tueday the 19th.

Please let us know what caused this, maybe it was because you got to be at the Christening Ceremony in Bergen?

[cassandra44]

Got off the Star this morning, and outside the terminal there was ONE cab who was already spoken for and would not take us.

Elizabeth ...This is worrying since we need a taxi to get to the hotel where we are to check in our baggage with the baggage transport company before boarding the Oslo train on June 13th. We need to get to the hotel by 7:15 am and so I am hoping that Viking will have all the necessary disembarkation process worked out before then...and that there will be taxis waiting at the dock.

If this doesn't work out then we are well and truly scr**ed!

I've been on ships since I was knee high to a grasshopper but this time I am feeling rather apprehensive about how things will work out.

[washashorehouse]

Amen, Leo. We, too, spent the night trying to find this "Festival Square" on any of the Bergen maps since no information was supplied by Viking. Guess it was too much trouble to tell us where it is and what the route of the parade is---afterall we're only the paying passengers and not the free loading press!

[id4elizabeth]

For an update on the unbievable mess that Viking created for itself tonight, please read the series of posts, starting with post # 51 by washashorehouse under the "Top Things Right and Wrong" thread started by CrusinSubMan. It's too much to repeat that series of posts again here. But if you are a potential future cruiser, this is a must read.

[id4elizabeth]

We covered a series of sights in our Oslo optional tour today. We started with a short driving tour through the city hitting the main sights including the Parliament Buildings, the Palace, the small old town area and then drove out to the Sculpture Park. To be honest, this was the one part of the tour I wasn't keen on going to, but I think it turned out to be my favorite part. I loved this place! The sculpture was amazing and perfectly set in a wonderful park. Although the day was a bit cloudy and we had had sporadic showers, the rain held off and we didn't get wet. There's not a lot of flowers yet in bloom, but the tulips were at their peak. But the highlight is the abundant sculptures. I couldn't stop taking pictures. I wish we could have spent a half day here.

 

Then we went to the Folks Museum and thoroughly had fun here too. There's a wonderful old Stave Church here that I though was better than the one in Bergen, except the one in Bergen has better roof dragons. Many of the old wooden houses from across Norway have been moved here and it's very unusual architecture. In one of the houses the docent picked up an old Norwegian fiddle and played a folk song for us. Splendid! Just lucky to have been there at the right time on this one I think.

 

Then off to the Viking Ship Museum. This is a small museum, but fastinating and very near the Folks Museum

 

Then another quick trip through the city passing by the modern Opera House and then back to the ship.

 

Because we had been delayed getting off the ship (yet again), they cut out our trip to the Norwegian ski jump. So our 4 hour tour ended up being 3 1/2 hours. Our group size was smaller today - only 32 of us. But I think there was another busloads of about the same size. The only place it got a little crowded was the Ship museum because it was so small.

 

A great day.

[TERRIER1]

We covered a series of sights in our Oslo optional tour today. We started with a short driving tour through the city hitting the main sights including the Parliament Buildings, the Palace, the small old town area and then drove out to the Sculpture Park. To be honest, this was the one part of the tour I wasn't keen on going to, but I think it turned out to be my favorite part. I loved this place! The sculpture was amazing and perfectly set in a wonderful park. Although the day was a bit cloudy and we had had sporadic showers, the rain held off and we didn't get wet. There's not a lot of flowers yet in bloom, but the tulips were at their peak. But the highlight is the abundant sculptures. I couldn't stop taking pictures. I wish we could have spent a half day here.

 

Then we went to the Folks Museum and thoroughly had fun here too. There's a wonderful old Stave Church here that I though was better than the one in Bergen, except the one in Bergen has better roof dragons. Many of the old wooden houses from across Norway have been moved here and it's very unusual architecture. In one of the houses the docent picked up an old Norwegian fiddle and played a folk song for us. Splendid! Just lucky to have been there at the right time on this one I think.

 

Then off to the Viking Ship Museum. This is a small museum, but fastinating and very near the Folks Museum

 

Then another quick trip through the city passing by the modern Opera House and then back to the ship.

 

Because we had been delayed getting off the ship (yet again), they cut out our trip to the Norwegian ski jump. So our 4 hour tour ended up being 3 1/2 hours. Our group size was smaller today - only 32 of us. But I think there was another busloads of about the same size. The only place it got a little crowded was the Ship museum because it was so small.

 

A great day.

 

What was the reason for the delay? Viking is going to have to start recycling excuses at this rate. :p

[PopsA]

Because we had been delayed getting off the ship (yet again), they cut out our trip to the Norwegian ski jump. So our 4 hour tour ended up being 3 1/2 hours. Our group size was smaller today - only 32 of us. But I think there was another busloads of about the same size. The only place it got a little crowded was the Ship museum because it was so small.

 

A great day.

 

We visited the ski jump but missed out on many of the sculptures. We would have rather had your day.

 

Give me 5 minutes with some tin foil and a can of vanilla frosting and I will make you a ski jump any time you wish to see one.

 

After a 21 hour day we made home yesterday. Post Traumatic Return to Normal Life Syndrome is setting in. I plan to have my full Barcelona to Bergen review complete in a couple of days. The post extension Bergen to Oslo was a let down after shipboard life.