Ultimate World Cruise 245 days and all the parts. Ongoing review, questions, opinion

[CCWineLover]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

 

That would be fantastic if they would do it July-August.  I like the Bergen to Iceland itinerary but it's too short.  Would go back to Bergen and Lerwick in a heartbeat but would love to see the Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and the Canadian Maritimes.  

 

We would also enjoy this, but there is such a small window what with the ice flow risk that Andy referenced and then hurricane season.  Might be just August.  They could maybe to an over and back from Bergen.

we live the itinerary the Sun is on , but my oh my the seas and weather!  At least the world passengers can look ahead to warm weather once they venture south!

[TayanaLorna]

4 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

The timing of multiple East/West crossings of the North Atlantic is critical, given that it is a very short season. In addition to storms, they must also consider ice.

 

Cruise ships, unless they have ice strengthened hulls would struggle in the approaches to the Seaway early in the season. Last time in that region, we missed Halifax in late July due to ice fields coming down from Davis Strait/Labrador Sea.

 

The small expedition ships in the polar regions must have higher levels of ice classed hulls. I believe the Viking Ships are classed 1C, which is the basic level, with strengthening in the bow. They would be unable to enter an ice field without ice breaker assistance.

 

Although I have never operated on the East Coast, I never expected to miss a port in late July, but it happened to us in 2015. Therefore, the season could be as short as August/early Sept. 

 

Having never been to Greenland or cruised the Seaway, this cruise is also of interest to us.

I thought one of the maritime people would chime in.  Figured it would be a very short season and too risky at times.

A nice one way from Bergen with all those stops nonetheless.

[CurlerRob]

Tough day in Reykjavík for photos, but two offerings. Hopefully Tom has better. 

 

[cruzzzinma]

It was a gray and gloomy day but we didn’t have pouring rain and temperatures were in the fifties. Six of us had a fantastic day with a private guide.

Edited September 19, 2019 by cruzzzinma

[stretchcruz]

On 9/16/2019 at 3:21 AM, Jim Avery said:

Thanks for the great photos Tom.  You really braved the cold and wet to get some good shots.  As we had been out and about in cold and rain for two days we declared yesterday  a "sea day".  Had one of those hard days "doing nothing".  Bergen was a beautiful place and a really nice, easily accessible port from where we docked.  And what a collection of different types of boats and ships to check out.  The Captain made a perfect call delaying departure till after all had eaten and gotten tucked into bed.  We were warned the departure would be bumpy and they were right.  It was dark so I could not really see but it seemed we sailed out into confused seas.  This is sea where waves come from several directions at the same time producing an erratic ride as compared to a steady roll or pitch.  Maybe it is best described as riding in a 4 wheel drive pickup down a bad road and every now and then running over a dead cow.......  BOOM, shake, shake, shake.  But we were prepared for it with bottles, etc. placed on the deck and the coffee slider taped shut.  No issues at all other than disturbed sleep at each "cow".  This morning dawned much smoother.  Still some motion but not bad at all.  Just makes me want to sleep.  We have our next Cruise Critic Meet & Greet at 5:30 pm today.  Viking set up a fajita station on the Pool Deck for lunch.  Lois said it was really good.  I opted for one of the Pool Grill burgers.  Ran into one of our fellow Inaugural WC passengers at the Grill and we compared notes on the differences in this WC.  As we just finished our first segment a few observations.  There is less emphasis on World Cruise.  On the Inaugural, the owner, his daughter, their dog, and others all made appearances.  But then the crew is much more settled in this trip.  The new group boarded in Bergen seems a bit more energetic than the last so a change of personnel (passengers) every few weeks is not as much a difference as was thought on the Roll Calls.  If I can say there is a negative to having segments it is having to attend the emergency drill more often.  We had it yesterday and had also done it two weeks earlier.  On the Inaugural WC, with all passengers doing the entire cruise, we had the emergency drill monthly.  Not a big deal at all.  So a nice easy day today and the Faeroe Islands tomorrow.  More later.

Jim, we were on Auckland to Bali in March (2 cruises back to back) both over 2 weeks if I remember right and we did not have to go to the emergency drill for the Sydney to Bali segment. We got a note in our cabin that we didn't have to go. So maybe you will get a few "byes". 

Loving following your adventures!

[OceanPatter]

Images from exhibits at the Lava Center. Impressive lunch stop on our Iceland Southern Coast tour. Not only were the displays and narratives clear, but we had an awesome meal with ingredients grown in geothermal green houses (things you’d find in a salad). It was a cold and wet day, and while I normally forego lunch, I ate all the protein in sight ... cod, chicken and pork. So went the diet.

1st image is a lava field; 2nd image is a plume penetrating into the surface of Iceland. So much intense volcanic activity.

Edited September 20, 2019 by OceanPatter

[Bridget2010]

On 9/15/2019 at 7:29 PM, NY Nick said:

Cabin supplies (bath) - What is supplied?  Q-tips, cotton balls, etc?  

Small box of 3 q-tips and 3 cotton pads, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower gel, bar soap, shower cap, tissues, toilet paper and feminine product.  All are resupplied as needed.

[Bridget2010]

Enjoyed The Golden Circle tour in Iceland. The day was cold, rainy, and windy. Saw more of Iceland than in our previous trip in 2009. The pictures would have been much better on a sunny day.

 

[Jim Avery]

Blue Lagoon! Even though cold windy and rainy, we made the BL trek. Crowded but very well organized. Water was great as long as you were in it.😳

 

 

[Jim Avery]

More on the Blue Lagoon trip in a minute but first I want to thank all the lively group posting here their experiences and opinions.  We have a great group of photographers too.  Yesterday in Iceland perfectly illustrates what I said in post number one about what this thread needs in order to do some form of justice to this great trip.  Look at yesterday's posts.  We scattered in all directions.  No one person could have described what went on for us Viking Explorers.  A great group.  Keep up the good work!😎  The sunglasses emoji is being optimistic.  One day there will be sun again, one day......  But not today Bucko.  A lazy sea day with a gently rolling swell from out in the Atlantic in the general direction of Humberto.  I suspect that is all we shall get from him.  Watching Jerry closely and it will come down to timing.  Too early to really tell yet.  Back to the Blue Lagoon.  What an interesting and otherworldly beautiful place.  I can only imagine what it must be like, as well as how crowded it must be, on a nice sunny day.  The showers worked well and, after a little confusion with closing the lockers with the electronic bracelet, it was time to make the dash, slowly as it is slippery, to the water.  Very icy wind biting into freshly showered Jim made me wonder what the heck I was doing but as soon as in the water all is well.  The temp is reportedly 98F to 105F depending on where you stand.  We found an inlet and stayed pretty much in the heat.  When warm up to your chin it's really nice.   The water feels silky soft on your skin and supposedly has healing properties.  I had a small scrape on one leg and was wondering if that would be a problem but on the way there we were told about how psoriasis sufferers are regularly treated in the waters.  Also of interest was that the power plant outflow refreshes the entire volume of the Lagoon every 40 hours.  Good to know.  Not sure if this healing stuff is just legend but my small scrape is practically gone this morning.  Ok, hard to not like a warm comfy pond that heals you and also has float up bars....🍸 More later but now it is time to get back to doing nothing as hard as I can...

[Jim Avery]

Captain just announced we have to miss Nanortalik Greenland due to heavy weather building tonight.  Will substitute scenic cruising of one of the sounds and we should make the second stop in Greenland.  Never go to sea unless you are willing to make changes.

[OceanPatter]

Haha, as Jim and Lois ‘do nothing,’ we go to back-to-back lectures (which are sooo good).This morning, the resident historian gave a riveting talk on Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, where we learned that the British tried to salvage captured ships (i.e., French, Spanish) and get them back to England to be refurbished and refitted. This not only secured them a reward/bonus, but it saved felling another 1,000 pine oak trees for a new ship. (Sorry if you already knew this.) Another interesting tidbit: they brought Lord Nelson’s body back to England in a barrel of brandy ...

 

Anyway, this was a customized talk which we really enjoyed (Viking, are you listening?), which deviated a bit from the standard Viking subject. We’re in favor of more of this type of presentation.

 

Next up was a guest lecturer’s talk on Cold War activities in the North Atlantic ... being formerly part of the Royal Air Force, he shared many insights on aircraft. Then came the astronomer, who said our chances of seeing the aurora on Sunday are good! This makes up for the disappointment of having to miss Nanortalik, Greenland.

[Hanoj]

1 hour ago, OceanPatter said:

Haha, as Jim and Lois ‘do nothing,’ we go to back-to-back lectures (which are sooo good).This morning, the resident historian gave a riveting talk on Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, where we learned that the British tried to salvage captured ships (i.e., French, Spanish) and get them back to England to be refurbished and refitted. This not only secured them a reward/bonus, but it saved felling another 1,000 pine oak trees for a new ship. (Sorry if you already knew this.) Another interesting tidbit: they brought Lord Nelson’s body back to England in a barrel of brandy ...

 

 

Brandy, better than formaldehyde. 

[NY Nick]

8 hours ago, Bridget2010 said:

Small box of 3 q-tips and 3 cotton pads, shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, shower gel, bar soap, shower cap, tissues, toilet paper and feminine product.  All are resupplied as needed.

 Thanks

[SantaFe1]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Captain just announced we have to miss Nanortalik Greenland due to heavy weather building tonight.  Will substitute scenic cruising of one of the sounds and we should make the second stop in Greenland.  Never go to sea unless you are willing to make changes.

So true!  Especially on a World Cruise. Everyone was so disappointed when the Captain announced that the tender platform was flooded and we could not go ashore on Easter Island, a bucket list trip for sure.  But our generous Captain spent the day circumnavigating the island, and we could see the statutes.  That afternoon we ran into him and I told him had had managed to make lemonade from a lemon of a day.  He seemed genuinely pleased.  Then, when we had to skip Casablanca to hurry across the Bay of Biscay two days early to beat out what he described as a tumultuous storm, I actually saw three men arguing with him about  his decision in the World Cafe while he was trying to have his dinner.  Not an easy job! 

[georose]

7 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

So true!  Especially on a World Cruise. Everyone was so disappointed when the Captain announced that the tender platform was flooded and we could not go ashore on Easter Island, a bucket list trip for sure.  But our generous Captain spent the day circumnavigating the island, and we could see the statutes.  That afternoon we ran into him and I told him had had managed to make lemonade from a lemon of a day.  He seemed genuinely pleased.  Then, when we had to skip Casablanca to hurry across the Bay of Biscay two days early to beat out what he described as a tumultuous storm, I actually saw three men arguing with him about  his decision in the World Cafe while he was trying to have his dinner.  Not an easy job! 

How thoughtless some people are!   

[Heidi13]

10 hours ago, SantaFe1 said:

So true!  Especially on a World Cruise. Everyone was so disappointed when the Captain announced that the tender platform was flooded and we could not go ashore on Easter Island, a bucket list trip for sure.  But our generous Captain spent the day circumnavigating the island, and we could see the statutes.  That afternoon we ran into him and I told him had had managed to make lemonade from a lemon of a day.  He seemed genuinely pleased.  Then, when we had to skip Casablanca to hurry across the Bay of Biscay two days early to beat out what he described as a tumultuous storm, I actually saw three men arguing with him about  his decision in the World Cafe while he was trying to have his dinner.  Not an easy job! 

Sadly, had the Captain maintained the schedule and the ship took a beating from the weather, they would be the first to complain that the Captain should have changed the schedule. There's just no pleasing some folk.

[CurlerRob]

Great pix from Jim and Bridget2010 - thank you!

[TayanaLorna]

Looks like last post from on ship was 23 hours ago.  Hope you all are safely making way to Greenland.  Marine Traffic has not updated your ships position however cruisemapper shows a track nearing Greenland's SE coast this morning.  The Panomax camera on the Sun shows nothing after about 2300 on September 19.  Hopefully it can be fixed so that we armchair voyagers can see the Greenland fjords and future ports.

[Jim Avery]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

Looks like last post from on ship was 23 hours ago.  Hope you all are safely making way to Greenland.  Marine Traffic has not updated your ships position however cruisemapper shows a track nearing Greenland's SE coast this morning.  The Panomax camera on the Sun shows nothing after about 2300 on September 19.  Hopefully it can be fixed so that we armchair voyagers can see the Greenland fjords and future ports.

Currently cruising in one of the fjords.  Supposed to see a few glaciers.  First impression is nowhere near as spectacular as Norway or Alaska.  Not much to report on otherwise.  Bumpy, cold, rainy.  See a pattern here?   Captain promised we are to anchor tonight so all might get a good night's sleep.  The motion puts both of us to sleep anyway so maybe we can get double secret sleep....🍸

[DaveSJ711]

4 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Currently cruising in one of the fjords.  Supposed to see a few glaciers.  First impression is nowhere near as spectacular as Norway or Alaska.  Not much to report on otherwise.  Bumpy, cold, rainy.  See a pattern here?   Captain promised we are to anchor tonight so all might get a good night's sleep.  The motion puts both of us to sleep anyway so maybe we can get double secret sleep....🍸

 

Am I on the same cruise as Jim?  The scenery in Greenland’s Prince Christian Sound is spectacular!  Folks in the Explorer Lounge are taking one picture after another.

 

Have another drink, Jim - you’ll feel better in the morning! 

Edited September 21, 2019 by DaveSJ711

[cruzzzinma]

Greenland has a stark beauty. All except the last photo were taken yesterday in Prince Christian Sound. The last photo was taken a few minutes ago in Qaqortog. 

[Jim Avery]

13 hours ago, DaveSJ711 said:

 

Am I on the same cruise as Jim?  The scenery in Greenland’s Prince Christian Sound is spectacular!  Folks in the Explorer Lounge are taking one picture after another.

 

Have another drink, Jim - you’ll feel better in the morning! 

Dave, not sure why the snarkiness but I lived and worked in Alaska and imo the Greenland scenery is small beer compared to the spectacular scenery of Alaska.  And what little I have seen of Norway inspires the same comparison to Greenland.  The scenic cruising in Greenland would be spectacular for someone seeing Arctic type fjords for the first time.  In all it was much better than spending the day slogging along offshore.  Ashore in Greenland for more fun stuff.😎

[brownblonde]

2 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

Dave, not sure why the snarkiness but I lived and worked in Alaska and imo the Greenland scenery is small beer compared to the spectacular scenery of Alaska.  And what little I have seen of Norway inspires the same comparison to Greenland.  The scenic cruising in Greenland would be spectacular for someone seeing Arctic type fjords for the first time.  In all it was much better than spending the day slogging along offshore.  Ashore in Greenland for more fun stuff.😎

You travel to see the beauty of the world not to compare,but you can like one thing better over another 

[janetcbl]

1 hour ago, brownblonde said:

You travel to see the beauty of the world not to compare,but you can like one thing better over another 

I have spent time in all three places. Norway is spectacular, Alaska is magnificent and Greenland is awesome.....everybody happy now?