The Virtual Explorers' Lounge

[DaveSJ711]

4 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

Whisky neat... 🥃

 

I have sad news. Had to cancell my Viking River Cruise on the Nile. My dear friend and traveling companion was diagnosed with cancer and... while the prognosis is good... needs to seek treatmant ASAP. So no New Year's Eve on the Nile for us.  But plenty of vouchers to plan another trip when she is better...

 

Her concerns and disappointment are of course bigger than mine... but she doesn't drink... so make mine a double... Sigh...

Very sorry to hear about your friend’s situation. As you say, the concerns and disappointment are definitely there. I know the feeling — I was diagnosed with neck cancer three years ago and had to cancel a land-based trip to Europe.
 

Best wishes to your friend for a speedy recovery, and to both of you for your next Viking cruise! 

[Let Me Travel!]

Hi everybody! I typically just “stalk” all these conversation (and laugh)…My trip isn’t until August 2022, but I am longing to travel…rebook of a rebook…several trips in 2022..please start talking again…it makes me feel happy…let’s have a cocktail and look out the windows at the movement of the ship, let’s chat about inconsequential issues and think about “normal”… it’s been awhile since I read any witty reparte’ … Liz…I’m sorry to learn of your friend’s illness… I hope she recovers quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim Avery]

Hi.  Thanks for waking me up.  These couches are very cozy.  I have been having the worst dream about cruise travel.  Let me get a Margarita and I'll tell you about it.......🍸

[TayanaLorna]

54 minutes ago, Let Me Travel! said:

Hi everybody! I typically just “stalk” all these conversation (and laugh)…My trip isn’t until August 2022, but I am longing to travel…rebook of a rebook…several trips in 2022..please start talking again…it makes me feel happy…let’s have a cocktail and look out the windows at the movement of the ship, let’s chat about inconsequential issues and think about “normal”… it’s been awhile since I read any witty reparte’ … Liz…I’m sorry to learn of your friend’s illness… I hope she recovers quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well we had two awesome Viking cruises last year in spite of all the safety protocols.  We traveled to the right places at the right times.  Loved every minute.  May your 8-22 cruise be trouble free as well.  Have not booked another yet but do have a small voucher to use for booking by December 15 this year.

[Twitchly]

Well, we canceled our Holy Land cruise due to all the craziness, but then I our friends on Kauai invited us to visit them instead! So we leave next week for a very different trip than we’d planned. Quite a satisfactory consolation prize, especially given that it’s going down to 3 degrees (Fahrenheit) here this week. I think we’ll be quite ready for palm trees and trade winds.

[Jim Avery]

16 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

Well, we canceled our Holy Land cruise due to all the craziness, but then I our friends on Kauai invited us to visit them instead! So we leave next week for a very different trip than we’d planned. Quite a satisfactory consolation prize, especially given that it’s going down to 3 degrees (Fahrenheit) here this week. I think we’ll be quite ready for palm trees and trade winds.

Sounds great.  We were booked on Viking for the Hawaii that became Mexican so cancelled.  Like you we realized we could no problem fly to Hawaii.  Just not cruise there.  Makes perfect sense right?  Have a blast.

[Twitchly]

4 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Sounds great.  We were booked on Viking for the Hawaii that became Mexican so cancelled.  Like you we realized we could no problem fly to Hawaii.  Just not cruise there.  Makes perfect sense right?  Have a blast.

Thanks! Yes, not a great time to cruise at the moment, but it’s still easy enough to travel domestically. (How lucky are we that Hawaii is considered domestic?) And our friends have a guest house. And they love to cook! We like to eat, so it works out nicely. 😄
 

So have you made plans to visit Hawaii, too? Or are you already there?

[Azulann]

Lovely evening here in the Explore Lounge. I  am sipping a Sidecar cocktail.

Looking at the lighted  constellations framing the windows at night , I am thinking of the  big telescope that was just launched and will be ready sometime in March as it get in its orbit. What a wonderful universe we live on at our small blue marble planet in the the Milky Way.

Cheers! Look forward to reading about Viking world cruisers who are  gathering in LA to begin an adventure,  that is full of change beginning today.

Cheers!

 

Patti

[vnb2003]

Mmmm 🥂 

[CCWineLover]

6 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Thanks! Yes, not a great time to cruise at the moment, but it’s still easy enough to travel domestically. (How lucky are we that Hawaii is considered domestic?) And our friends have a guest house. And they love to cook! We like to eat, so it works out nicely. 😄
 

So have you made plans to visit Hawaii, too? Or are you already there?

Wonderful!  My parents lived in Kauai for over 30 years.  Seen it all.  
best part of all - you won’t have to risk testing positive with no symptoms or being sent home because someone else on a bus tested positive!!!

you are in control!  Wish you a great Hawaiian trip!

[Twitchly]

52 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Wonderful!  My parents lived in Kauai for over 30 years.  Seen it all.  
best part of all - you won’t have to risk testing positive with no symptoms or being sent home because someone else on a bus tested positive!!!

you are in control!  Wish you a great Hawaiian trip!

 

Thanks! Yes, this feels like a lot more of a relaxing option right now. 
 

How thoughtful of your parents to move to Kauai so you could visit them! 🏝🍹

[Peregrina651]

<sigh>  Late to the party as always...

 

Wishing you all a hppy -- and healthy -- NEW YEAR!

 

 

Our celebration on board Orion last week was delightful. Anchored in Cabo San Lucas, we even got to see fireworks.

 

[CharTrav]

Delete. The question I asked has been answered elsewhere. 

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by CharTrav

[Clay Clayton]

Sure has gotten quiet in here since the IRL Explorer’s Lounges reopened. 😢

 

Happy for those that are getting to enjoy and happy that we now are least have a date when we hope (please don’t get canceled) to be back in a real one on Orion-October 26, 2022!

[TayanaLorna]

8 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Sure has gotten quiet in here since the IRL Explorer’s Lounges reopened. 😢

 

Happy for those that are getting to enjoy and happy that we now are least have a date when we hope (please don’t get canceled) to be back in a real one on Orion-October 26, 2022!

Well good for you!  Yes the virtual EL has been quiet.  Congrats on your booking.  Always nice to have something to plan and anticipate.  We booked the Caribbean-Amazon for February 2023 on the recent promo.   Viking hasn't run it since Covid shut down.  Sure hope it sails as it is not on the books for 2024.

[CharTrav]

28 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Sure has gotten quiet in here since the IRL Explorer’s Lounges reopened. 😢

 

Happy for those that are getting to enjoy and happy that we now are least have a date when we hope (please don’t get canceled) to be back in a real one on Orion-October 26, 2022!

yes - am sitting on the 2nd level of the iRL Explorer’s Lounge on the Sky working on a rusty nail and reading with live music underway below me. 

[Twitchly]

7 minutes ago, CharTrav said:

yes - am sitting on the 2nd level of the iRL Explorer’s Lounge on the Sky working on a rusty nail and reading with live music underway below me. 

My favorite spot on the ship! Hope you’re having a wonderful time, wherever you are. 🥂

[Peregrina651]

42 minutes ago, CharTrav said:

am sitting on the 2nd level of the iRL Explorer’s Lounge on the Sky working on a rusty nail and reading with live music underway below me.

 

 

 

  🎵"Heaven... I'm in heaven,
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak.
And I seem to find the happiness I seek,.🎵  in an Explorer's Lounge seat

 

                                                           

[deec]

we have been home from the wonderful Jupiter about 3 weeks and I have a serious case of land sickness...we saw the Octantis on her maiden voyage through the Great Lakes.  She looked lovely!

 

I miss so much about life aboard the Jupiter but none more than all the wonderful bartenders!

[Clay Clayton]

16 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

Well good for you!  Yes the virtual EL has been quiet.  Congrats on your booking.  Always nice to have something to plan and anticipate.  We booked the Caribbean-Amazon for February 2023 on the recent promo.   Viking hasn't run it since Covid shut down.  Sure hope it sails as it is not on the books for 2024.

I saw you were asking about it. We had friends who did a shorter Amazon cruise  on a small but lux boat a couple of years ago and loved it. 

16 hours ago, CharTrav said:

yes - am sitting on the 2nd level of the iRL Explorer’s Lounge on the Sky working on a rusty nail and reading with live music underway below me. 

Envious!

[TayanaLorna]

20 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I saw you were asking about it. We had friends who did a shorter Amazon cruise  on a small but lux boat a couple of years ago and loved it. 

Envious!

Clay, we are doing both.  Viking Sea to Manaus then Iberostar Grand Amazon further up the Amazon for four days.  Shame to go so far and not get into the best part.

[Clay Clayton]

2 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Clay, we are doing both.  Viking Sea to Manaus then Iberostar Grand Amazon further up the Amazon for four days.  Shame to go so far and not get into the best part.

Looks like a great plan.  I forget who they cruised with but it was a much smaller boat-9 or 10 staterooms as I recall. 

[TayanaLorna]

6 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Looks like a great plan.  I forget who they cruised with but it was a much smaller boat-9 or 10 staterooms as I recall. 

The small luxury boats were not in the budget.  The more economical small boats had us sleeping in hammocks or a cabin with bunk beds.  Maybe if we were 30 something...

[Clay Clayton]

1 hour ago, TayanaLorna said:

The small luxury boats were not in the budget.  The more economical small boats had us sleeping in hammocks or a cabin with bunk beds.  Maybe if we were 30 something...

Theirs was similar priced to Viking on a per person/per day basis but of course they had preceded it with a luxurious but relatively cheap stay in Quito. We lived Equador, if you can budget to stay longer you should.  Drop me an email if you need any recommendations. 

[Liz Masterson]

Drinking a fancy coffee and watching the scenery go by while reading this book about witch trials in Norway that predate Salem! Looking forward to Norway in July!