on Viking Jupiter now for British Isles cruise

[moatenote]

On 7/26/2019 at 5:21 PM, OneSixtyToOne said:

Who are the guest lecturers for this cruise?

 

Guest lecturers:  Russell Lee--research and history (excellent presentation on Brexit);  Col. Karol Bobko--astronaut and astronomer;  William Thayer--economic, financial history; Michael Fuller--historian.

 

[moatenote]

On 7/25/2019 at 5:30 PM, sswansen said:

Hello - thank you for the great information!  I saw in a different thread that the menu in Manfredi's has been updated.  If you have a chance to snap a picture to share it would be greatly appreciated.  Happy travels!

Here's a copy of the current Manfredi's menu.

 

[sswansen]

Thank you for taking the time to post the Manfredi's menu!  I'm looking forward to my first Viking cruise in December.

[OneSixtyToOne]

14 hours ago, moatenote said:

Guest lecturers:  Russell Lee--research and history (excellent presentation on Brexit);  Col. Karol Bobko--astronaut and astronomer;  William Thayer--economic, financial history; Michael Fuller--historian.

 

 

We were on the Jupiter with Russell Lee in May (Along Europe's West Coast) and he mentioned he was taking another cruise later this year.

 

His presentations are all excellent. We spoke to him and his wife a few times. They did an amazing presentation about the medieval wool trade, how it led to the establishment of dozens of guilds, and how it also led to war. He wife brought some raw wool and demonstrated how it was hand spun. Fascinating presentation.

 

He also had lectures on the Mona Lisa, Anne Frank, and the Dutch Tulip Bulb Bubble. The latter was really remarkable.

 

His style reminds me of James Burke in the BBC program Connections. I highly recommend you attend or watch on replay all of his lectures.

 

Edited July 30, 2019 by OneSixtyToOne

[moatenote]

Our cruise ended on Sunday, July 28 (waaahhhh!!).  I've recovered a bit from being up almost 24 hours on departure day, and thought I'd post information about our excursions after Liverpool.

 

Holyhead, Wales--we did the included tour, "Beaumaris on Foot," 3 hours.  Bus ride with some pretty scenery to Beaumaris, a coastal town that our guide said is a very popular place with tourists.  Mostly we walked through the town, following a fast-walking, but very nice guide.  Then had lots of free time to walk around.  Bus took a different road back to the ship and again some pretty scenery.  My opinion is that Holyhead must be totally lacking in anything of interest for Viking to organize this tour.

 

Dublin, Ireland--did the included tour, "City Views of Dublin," 3 hour bus ride.  This one was great!  Excellent guide who shared lots of interesting information about the city.  At the end of the tour (ended at the Post Office), passengers could leave the bus and take the Viking shuttle back later or stay on and ride back to the ship.

 

Dover, England--took an optional tour, "Canterbury Cathedral and Leeds Castle."  A long walk through the port terminal to the bus.  Drove to Canterbury; there were about 4 Viking buses there at the same time.  Guide walked us to the Cathedral entrance, passed out audioguides, and said to meet him back here at 12:45 (LUNCH IS ON YOUR OWN).  Audioguide was not very good--hard to know exactly where you were in the cathedral.  We walked around the nearby area looking for a place for lunch---it was probably the warmest day of the cruise (we missed the really bad heat wave, thank goodness), and no restaurants were air conditioned.  We sweated but had a good fish and chips lunch.

Bus to Leeds Castle next; very busy place; bus parked a long way off; guide gave us tickets to ride the little open-air "train".  Audioguide for inside the castle--not the most interesting place to me but one of the hottest for sure.  The grounds and little lakes were definitely the highlights--lots of swans (on the castle crest too), geese, ducks.  We walked back to the bus instead of riding the train--part of the pedestrian walkway was shaded and very lovely.  Bus back to the ship.  A totally irrelevant bit of info--big trucks were stopped in at least a 2-mile traffic jam on one lane of the road.  Guide said they were in line to board the ferry, which can hold about 50 trucks at a time.  Definitely not a great place to be on a hot summer day.

 

London--The two days before our arrival the temps were in the mid-90's.  During our day and a half, the weather was much better---cloudy and highs in low 70's; rain was predicted but didn't happen.  We took an optional tour, "London and the London Eye," 2.5 hours, 7:00-9:30 pm.  This began with a ride on the Thames River in a river tour boat.  We exited the ship onto a small pier/dock and the tour boat was right there, and we just stepped aboard.  The narrated tour along the river was very good, although at times it was hard to hear the guide.  If you choose this tour, be sure to go down to the dock much earlier than the Daily says---we were a bit early but still had to sit in the very back of the boat, and these seats were unable to see the other side of the river.  The London Eye was awesome!  We had at least 4 Viking groups, and we went directly to the front of a very long line.  The Eye never stops moving, and you just step aboard one of the large "capsules" that hold lots of people (maybe 25+).  And they move very slowly for one full turn; I get motion sickness very easily, but this was no problem--you barely feel it moving.  Great 360 degree views;  the capsule is all glass.  And there's a guide onboard the capsule with lots of information.  Afterward, back to the boat--this time we sat outside in the stern and got some great photos.  

 

It was a great cruise and I highly recommend it!!

 

 

[moatenote]

On 7/27/2019 at 1:38 PM, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

I was SO excited when I saw the subject line as in 364 days we will be following in your footsteps. Thanks so much for being available to answer questions, because we have a boatload of them.  

 

We're flying into Oslo then doing the train to Bergen.  

 

Questions

1) Did you use Viking Air? If so, can you tell me what your options were?  We'll be booking October 4th. 

 

2) What has the weather been like. Sounds like quite a bit of rain.  Obviously rain gear needed, but how cool is it...sweaters, jackets? 

 

3) Giants Causeway...sounds like you did not enjoy that much.  My husband is a scientist and rock formations are definitely a must see wherever we go.  How long of an excursion was this and did you have to travel a ways to see it?  Also, am I correct that this is also where the Titanic Museum is?  Is it possible to do both of those in the time allotted?  Do you know how far the Titanic Museum is from where the ship is docked? 

 

Can't wait to hear more!!! 

So sorry, but I somehow didn't see your post. 

1) We did not use Viking Air

2) This is an area where you can expect many rainy days.  Fortunately, it was never a heavy rain, but often windy.  We had rain pants that we bought at REI, and these were very helpful.  Definitely dress in layers--I wore a lot of mock turtlenecks, a light jacket, and a raincoat.  Take your own small umbrella-the ones provided in the cabins by Viking are huge and unwieldy, especially on windy days.  Temps during the first part of the trip were in the low 60's.  We had warm weather in Dublin, Dover, and London was in the low 70's/

3) Giant's Causeway optional tour was 5.5 hours.  Bus ride to the Visitor Center there was an hour+, including photo stop at Carrick-A-Rede rope bridge.  The Antrim Coast road is very scenic.

4) Sorry, I don't know how far the Titanic Experience is from the cruise port.  

[frenchhorn]

Thank you for this useful information!  Your descriptions will help us make decisions about what to do in many ports.  I was also interested in the fact that you thought rain pants were useful.  We bought some for a trip to Iceland but didn't wear them.  It sounds like we should take them on this cruise.  Weird question - did you wear them over other pants or on their own?    

[CathyA101]

Thank you so much for all this info. I'm on this itinerary on the Viking Sun, leaving my home here in Buffalo, NY on Friday, August 2. 

 

I have a just a couple of maybe odd questions about availability of items to purchase to bring home.

Last year when I was on the Viking Homelands cruise (coincidentally also on the Viking Sun), there was very little time to purchase items and few items to purchase. That was absolutely fine for me.

This trip, I have been asked to purchase a couple of items for others.

I have a 45 year old friend and two toddler boys who would like "something" Lock Ness monster.

I was asked to purchase a cashmere throw from Scotland for another friend.

In your opinion will I easily be able to find and purchase these items?

 

[moatenote]

11 hours ago, frenchhorn said:

Thank you for this useful information!  Your descriptions will help us make decisions about what to do in many ports.  I was also interested in the fact that you thought rain pants were useful.  We bought some for a trip to Iceland but didn't wear them.  It sounds like we should take them on this cruise.  Weird question - did you wear them over other pants or on their own?    

Love "weird" questions!  The ones we have are made to wear over other pants.  We wore them on two tours and we took them on the bus with us maybe two other times.  They are lightweight and easy to put on/take off.  You just never know about the weather in this "neck of the woods."  We bought with Bergen in mind (based on our first visit there), but Bergen was beautiful--sunny and temps in the mid-60's.  We wore them in Lerwick, but the rain stopped about midway through the tour, and we took them off.  Inverness-wore them during that tour.

[moatenote]

1 hour ago, CathyA101 said:

Thank you so much for all this info. I'm on this itinerary on the Viking Sun, leaving my home here in Buffalo, NY on Friday, August 2. 

 

I have a just a couple of maybe odd questions about availability of items to purchase to bring home.

Last year when I was on the Viking Homelands cruise (coincidentally also on the Viking Sun), there was very little time to purchase items and few items to purchase. That was absolutely fine for me.

This trip, I have been asked to purchase a couple of items for others.

I have a 45 year old friend and two toddler boys who would like "something" Lock Ness monster.

I was asked to purchase a cashmere throw from Scotland for another friend.

In your opinion will I easily be able to find and purchase these items?

 

Loved Viking Homelands--that was our first Viking cruise.

 

-Loch Ness monster--don't think you'll have any trouble finding this toy in many different sizes, styles, etc.  We did the free tour to Inverness and had lots of free time to explore the town and visit lots of shops.  There was also an optional tour, "Loch Ness and Historic Urquhart Castle" if you want to try to see the real thing.

 

Cashmere throw-We were cautioned that cashmere is quite expensive, so if prices seem "cheap," check for information about the amount of cashmere in the item.  We saw these in the shops in Inverness.  We had time to visit one shop in Lerwick, but I don't recall if they sold these.  We didn't shop in Edinburgh, but I would think you can find cashmere throws there.  Most tours in Edinburgh include a good bit of free time.

 

Wish I could give more information about these items.  We were mostly busy trying to buy cheap items like postcards in order to break British Pound notes into coins to use as tips for the tour guides and bus drivers.  This was further complicated by the information we got that Scotland prints their own "British" pound notes, and some shops in England will not accept them.  So  any pound notes we got in change in Scotland, we tried to spend in Scotland.  (whether this is a big concern or not, we decided not to risk it).

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

[moatenote]

1 hour ago, CathyA101 said:

Thank you so much for all this info. I'm on this itinerary on the Viking Sun, leaving my home here in Buffalo, NY on Friday, August 2. 

 

I have a just a couple of maybe odd questions about availability of items to purchase to bring home.

Last year when I was on the Viking Homelands cruise (coincidentally also on the Viking Sun), there was very little time to purchase items and few items to purchase. That was absolutely fine for me.

This trip, I have been asked to purchase a couple of items for others.

I have a 45 year old friend and two toddler boys who would like "something" Lock Ness monster.

I was asked to purchase a cashmere throw from Scotland for another friend.

In your opinion will I easily be able to find and purchase these items?

 

Loved Viking Homelands--that was our first Viking cruise.

 

-Loch Ness monster--don't think you'll have any trouble finding this toy in many different sizes, styles, etc.  We did the free tour to Inverness and had lots of free time to explore the town and visit lots of shops.  There was also an optional tour, "Loch Ness and Historic Urquhart Castle" if you want to try to see the real thing.

 

Cashmere throw-We were cautioned that cashmere is quite expensive, so if prices seem "cheap," check for information about the amount of cashmere in the item.  We saw these in the shops in Inverness.  We had time to visit one shop in Lerwick, but I don't recall if they sold these.  We didn't shop in Edinburgh, but I would think you can find cashmere throws there.  Most tours in Edinburgh include a good bit of free time.

 

Wish I could give more information about these items.  We were mostly busy trying to buy cheap items like postcards in order to break British Pound notes into coins to use as tips for the tour guides and bus drivers.  This was further complicated by the information we got that Scotland prints their own "British" pound notes, and some shops in England will not accept them.  So  any pound notes we got in change in Scotland, we tried to spend in Scotland.  (whether this is a big concern or not, we decided not to risk it).

 

Enjoy your trip!

 

 

[caskale]

Thank you for all the great info as I plan our May 2020 cruise

[frenchhorn]

Thanks for the information on the rain pants.  We are going on this cruise on May 2, so we might have a real use for them that early in the season in places like Shetland.    

[Rawmac]

We were mostly busy trying to buy cheap items like postcards in order to break British Pound notes into coins to use as tips for the tour guides and bus drivers.  This was further complicated by the information we got that Scotland prints their own "British" pound notes, and some shops in England will not accept them.  So  any pound notes we got in change in Scotland, we tried to spend in Scotland.  (whether this is a big concern or not, we decided not to risk it).

 

The UK has not had "Pound notes", ie £1,  for over 30 years, we have pound coins instead, recently redesigned with 12 sides and 2 metals to frustrate the forgers.  There is also a bimetallic £2 coin. These are gold coloured, shrapnel is silver coloured and the small stuff is copper coloured.  The lowest denomination note, and the smallest, is now the blue polymer £5 note, with bigger brown £10, even bigger purple £20 and biggest red £50 notes (not common and you might have difficulty using them) as well. Euro notes are different colours from Pounds.   (Why are all US dollar bills the same colour???)  Scottish notes are legal currency (not "tender", a fine definition) across the UK, but shopkeepers can accept or reject any form of payment they wish, eg £50 notes, $$$, or even barter.  Suggest that if your Scottish notes are rejected, walk out of the shop.

 

If perchance you do get a pound note, a one pound note,  it is either a forgery or a valuable rarity.

[moatenote]

3 minutes ago, Rawmac said:

We were mostly busy trying to buy cheap items like postcards in order to break British Pound notes into coins to use as tips for the tour guides and bus drivers.  This was further complicated by the information we got that Scotland prints their own "British" pound notes, and some shops in England will not accept them.  So  any pound notes we got in change in Scotland, we tried to spend in Scotland.  (whether this is a big concern or not, we decided not to risk it).

 

The UK has not had "Pound notes", ie £1,  for over 30 years, we have pound coins instead, recently redesigned with 12 sides and 2 metals to frustrate the forgers.  There is also a bimetallic £2 coin. These are gold coloured, shrapnel is silver coloured and the small stuff is copper coloured.  The lowest denomination note, and the smallest, is now the blue polymer £5 note, with bigger brown £10, even bigger purple £20 and biggest red £50 notes (not common and you might have difficulty using them) as well. Euro notes are different colours from Pounds.   (Why are all US dollar bills the same colour???)  Scottish notes are legal currency (not "tender", a fine definition) across the UK, but shopkeepers can accept or reject any form of payment they wish, eg £50 notes, $$$, or even barter.  Suggest that if your Scottish notes are rejected, walk out of the shop.

 

If perchance you do get a pound note, a one pound note,  it is either a forgery or a valuable rarity.

Yes.  When I ordered British Pounds from our bank, they only sent an array of paper money  (5's, 10's, 20's pound notes).  It was the one and two-pound coins that we were trying to get.

[CathyA101]

Thank you for your responses and for the great information. We have obtained some euros and pounds sterling notes but we didn't know anything about the coins and Scottish differences. You have been very helpful.

 

I (and my husband, who I am traveling with) have never been to the British Isles, except for a layover in Heathrow Airport; we really plan on focusing on site-seeing. This is tongue in cheek, but for the shopping, it sounds like I should easily find sea monsters but my friend may have to take her own trip for a cashmere throw! I may not have anywhere to pack it any how - I like to travel light and don't leave hardly any room for purchases. Shopping while on a trip is something that I can only get my husband to do with much cajoling.

[moatenote]

I enjoyed this cruise and am happy to share any info.  It was a real pain to spend so much time trying to get coins/change.  One of my few complaints about Viking is this----they request that we tip the tour guides and bus drivers, and I'm happy to do this.  But I really wish Viking would have a way for us to get change onboard if they want us to do this.  We had Euro coins from previous trips, but Euros were only needed in Ireland.

 

Hope y'all have a great time---it's a wonderful cruise!!

[Hanoj]

31 minutes ago, moatenote said:

I enjoyed this cruise and am happy to share any info.  It was a real pain to spend so much time trying to get coins/change.  One of my few complaints about Viking is this----they request that we tip the tour guides and bus drivers, and I'm happy to do this.  But I really wish Viking would have a way for us to get change onboard if they want us to do this.  We had Euro coins from previous trips, but Euros were only needed in Ireland.

 

Hope y'all have a great time---it's a wonderful cruise!!

 

Moatenote, did you ask to obtain coins at the Explorer’s Desk? Although they don’t do currency exchanges, we were able to get coins for banknotes (of the same currency) on our 2018 Homelands cruise. We had plenty of coins from cash purchases on our recent Mediterranean cruise that we didn’t ask.

[moatenote]

31 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

 

Moatenote, did you ask to obtain coins at the Explorer’s Desk? Although they don’t do currency exchanges, we were able to get coins for banknotes (of the same currency) on our 2018 Homelands cruise. We had plenty of coins from cash purchases on our recent Mediterranean cruise that we didn’t ask.

 

Seriously??  You mean we spent all that time in shops for nothing???  LOL  Well, dang.  I know the Daily said daily that British Pounds could not be purchased or exchanged, and I just assumed we couldn't get change either.  Thank you, thank you for that wonderful information!  And, Viking, I apologize for criticizing you when it was user error instead.

Edited August 1, 2019 by moatenote

[Hanoj]

21 minutes ago, moatenote said:

 

Seriously??  You mean we spent all that time in shops for nothing???  LOL  Well, dang.  I know the Daily said daily that British Pounds could not be purchased or exchanged, and I just assumed we couldn't get change either.  Thank you, thank you for that wonderful information!  And, Viking, I apologize for criticizing you when it was user error instead.

 

I had been under the same impression until I asked. We didn’t abuse it and I usually did it when they weren’t busy. 

[rrgator]

moatenote, we just booked the Trade Routes of the Middle Ages on the Jupiter for October 2019. We have a DV on deck 5. Would u mind sharing any thoughts on the ship and rooms that you experienced?  We have done a number of Viking river cruises but our first on Viking Ocean. 

[moatenote]

On 8/6/2019 at 4:08 PM, rrgator said:

moatenote, we just booked the Trade Routes of the Middle Ages on the Jupiter for October 2019. We have a DV on deck 5. Would u mind sharing any thoughts on the ship and rooms that you experienced?  We have done a number of Viking river cruises but our first on Viking Ocean. 

The Jupiter is a lovely ship and we loved it.  We were in a PV2 because of the extra space and mainly because the closet is across the room instead of right next to the bed.  We've been in 2 DV rooms and they also are very nice.  Deck 5 is our favorite and all our trips have been on this deck--good views from balcony and easy to walk up to World Cafe.  There is now a dial in the bathroom to adjust or turn off the heated bathroom floor  (we kept it on).  

We attended 2 of the 3 shows in the Planetarium (now called the Dome, I think).  They were okay, but not sure if this new addition is a keeper.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[travelnn]

On 7/21/2019 at 10:33 AM, caskale said:

We are doing May 17 and would appreciate hearing the same things about the cruise.

We are also on the May 17 cruise!

I would like to find out the kinds of included excursions they offered.

Thanks!

[travelnn]

On 7/23/2019 at 7:10 AM, moatenote said:

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply---been enjoying the cruise too much!

We are in Holyhead, Wales today.  So far we've had 2 tender ports-Edinburgh and Ullapool.  Edinburgh was a bit dicey as the weather was not cooperating---very windy and off-and-on rain.  One tender was having problems before being boarded, so that delayed our tour group for about 15 minutes.  Ullapool tendering went off without any problems---and this is what I remember of all other Viking tenders we've been on during previous cruises.  Viking's tenders are very big and comfortable inside; the crew is great in helping people on and off, and unless the seas are very rough, the whole process is quite smooth.

 

Our excursions:  In Bergen, we had previously done the included bus tour here, so instead we walked up the trail to the top of Mt. Floyen, stopping often to breathe and enjoy the views.  It was a bit strenuous for us 73-year-olds who are not in the best shape.  But there are very long lines to buy tickets to ride up the funicular, and long lines to actually get on it.  And the funicular goes through a tunnel for awhile after leaving the boarding area.   We rode it back down and there was no line, and the views were great.

 

Lerwick--did the optional "Ancient Civilizations of Shetlands" and we all thought it was fantastic--highly recommend it.  It was rainy and windy, but it was still very educational and interesting.

 

Highlands/Invergordon-did the included tour, "Inverness Scenic Drive".  Bus ride, about 45 minutes to Inverness.  Tour guide had such a strong accent that we  had trouble understanding him.  Got off the bus for about 1.5 hours of free time, and it was windy and rainy again.  Went in to a few shops and walked along the river.  The weather may have clouded our opinion, but this was not a tour I'd choose to do again.

 

Edinburgh--4 of us did the optional tour, "Holyrood Palace and Edinburgh Castle"  A wonderful guide  who made sure we knew where to meet, etc.  I always appreciate that extra care shown by some guides.  Did a bus ride through the city and she pointed out interesting landmarks.  First stop was Holyrodn Palace--tour includes audioguides from the palace--the guide helped us understand the programming in the guide, not very clear on its own.  Self-guided tour lasted about an hour--interesting palace.  Back to bus and on to the Royal Mile.  Of course it's rainy and windy once again, and the RM was very crowded.  Lunch was NOT included in the tour, but Lyn, our guide had suggestions for places/areas (we walked a few minutes to the free Museum and had a good lunch in the cafe there, which was not very busy).  Met up with guide and walked a few minutes uphill to Edinburgh Castle.  Enjoyed seeing the Crown Jewels (there's a separate entrance if you go to the left side of the castle and toward the back).  Great views of city and the surrounding area.  Back on the bus and saw some more interesting sights around the city.  We enjoyed this tour and recommend it.

 

Orkney/Kirkwall-we did a private tour here with Rosemary from Wild About Orkney.  It was definitely one of the best tours I've been on.  The 4 of us in a private car and Rosemary was a terrific guide who loves the area and especially the archaeological sites.  Skara Brae was amazing.  Also included were the Italian Chapel (great!), Scapa Flow, Churchill Barriers, Skaill House, Cliffs of Yesnaby, Ring of Brodgar, Ness of Brodgar (an active archaeological site), and Standing Stones of Stenness.  Finally a good weather day too!

 

Ullapool-we did the included tour, "Explore Picturesque Ullapool"--Very windy and intermittent rain.  A good guide, a lovely setting, but not much here really.

 

Belfast-we did an optional Viking tour, "Giants' Causeway".  Long bus ride through some lovely countryside.  Once again, the guide was very hard to understand.  Drove by the Carrick-A-Rede Rope Bridge---good photo op.    Once we reached the Visitors' Center at the Giant's Causeway area, we were given vouchers to enter the VC and ride the shuttle down to the shoreline and back (or you could walk there).   Lunch not included and the guide did not tell us that there's a cafe in the VC (never saw a sign inside the center advertising this).  The basalt/lava formations are very interesting and there are numerous paths all around.  Rainy and very windy once again.  All in all, my least favorite optional tour.  Should have just bought a few postcards instead.

 

Liverpool-did optional Viking tour, "Roman City of Chester".  About a 45-minute bus ride.  Interesting city with well-preserved Roman walls (not as awesome as the walls of Dubrovnik, tho).  Guide took us through the Chester Cathedral---very interesting and a huge place.  Interesting bus ride around parts of Liverpool; saw parts of Albert Dock area (and we walked back over there after tour was over).  Ship is in Liverpool from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, so you can take a tour and still explore some areas on your own.  We enjoyed the optional tour.

 

That's it for today---more to come!!

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks so much for your excellent excursion reviews. Sounds like you are having a wonderful time.

I'm curious about the optional excursions. How well are they priced? 

[caskale]

8 hours ago, travelnn said:

We are also on the May 17 cruise!

I would like to find out the kinds of included excursions they offered.

Thanks!

We are looking at some private tours in some of the smaller ports.