Live Trip Report "Bermuda Escape" July 13,2021

[Azulann]

On 7/13/2021 at 1:05 AM, bluesea777 said:

Patti, safe flight to Bermuda, and hope all goes well for you all the way to your stateroom!

 

I do have a couple of favours to ask you ..... 

 

1. Chef's Table - what rotation is on the week of July 13-20? So I can figure out what's on when during the week of our cruise Aug 3-10. Somebody else already gave the choices for week June 29-July 5.

 

2. On board shops - do they sell duty free spirits? If so, do they sell bottles of Aquavit?? I'm half Danish (hej, hallo!!) and our Akvavit stock is nearly dried up so hope to be able to stock it up when we are on the cruise in 3 weeks' time! We're meant to go to DK next month but thanks to Rona we're not going.

 

Looking forward to your reports!

 

ENJOY!!

 

 

Bluesea, here the 3 day rotation of Chef Table for July 13 - 20.

Asian Panorama , Tues ;Wed

California , Thurs; Friday;Saturday

Mexico, Sunday ;Monday ; Tuesday

 

[Famsw]

Hi we are here enjoying breakfast in the World Cafe watching the rain pitter patter on Hamilton. Ah well I hope our catamaran excursion still occurs this afternoon. Everything is delightful and we are so happy to be here. Im so sorry for the folks that had their flights cancelled. The ship seems very light with passengers yesterday we shall see for today. There are some nice lecturers lined up and for those backgmon fans the electronic game tables are fun. More later.

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

Patti - I'm so excited for you! After all the planning & challenge to get onboard, now you're here. Relax, enjoy yourself, & have the time of your life!

 

I disembarked yesterday & am home now. This was the best cruise I've had on Viking. The entire crew stopped at nothing to treat us like royalty. From the senior officers who stopped by to chat each morning as I had coffee in The Living Room, the phenomenal meals under chef Gary, all the servers & room attendants, Brian the CD, & the guest lectures, you are in for a service extravaganza! 

 

Stand out crew whom I'm missing already are Denys, Clareifel, Jennifer, Robert, Zharko in The Restaurant. Alexandra, Igor, Vladimir, Vincent, Michael, Andro in Bar/Beverage, the entire Guest Relations team! My favorite guest lecturer was Dr. Sherry Hutt.

 

Can't wait to see your cruise experience unfold on here. Bon Voyage Patti !

 

Edited July 14, 2021 by Myrtle Ave. Mayhem

[Heidi13]

8 hours ago, Azulann said:

The view from our aft stateroom in Hamilton. LOL

Unpacked . Plenty of drawers for both of us. On Orion there is a set of 4 drawers in the closet plus a set in hallway. Had the coffee maker & tray removed for more storage for us. 
Ronnie and Indra are our room stewards . They explained the saliva tubes. Spit , spit some more , to the 2m line. We did this upon arriving in our room. Do it each morning before 11. Wear a tracing device on a lanyard either around your neck or in your pocket. It must be on your person outside your room. Temp taking once a day , face recognition scanner outside the restaurant , world cafe. Sanitizer machines all over the ship. Feel totally safe and appreciate Viking health protocols .

Many  first time Viking cruisers , some have done river cruisers but first time on Ocean cruise. 
Easy to make appointments for spa , fitness or change add excursions for us. Sister going to gym at 6 am everyday. I will have a facial on second sea day after we have our hour in the thermal spa. The snow grotto is not working😟

We changed our excursion for today. We are going to Art museum botanical gardens in morning and the Famous Homes and Hideway cruise in mid afternoon. 
Had dinner in Restaurant , window table . They have a category called destination menu. Had the blackened grouper, cab cake soufflé, steamed veggies and rum raisin ice cream. We were in bed by 10 .

 

 

Thanks for the update.

 

If you meet Zharko (Waiter) on board, please pass on our regards, as he was the MDR Host for the entire WC. When we were down to 8 pax, he was one of the crew members we invited to join us for lunch in Manfredi's one day. We also enjoyed a couple of beers with him and a few others up on the pool deck one evening.

[Myrtle Ave. Mayhem]

13 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Thanks for the update.

 

If you meet Zharko (Waiter) on board, please pass on our regards, as he was the MDR Host for the entire WC. When we were down to 8 pax, he was one of the crew members we invited to join us for lunch in Manfredi's one day. We also enjoyed a couple of beers with him and a few others up on the pool deck one evening.

This gentleman!

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

This gentleman!

 

That's him. Pre-COVID he was close to being promoted to a Head Waiter, so hopefully fairly soon, once all ships are back in service and the newbuild are operational.

[Azulann]

Sail away is in 45 minutes. First full day in Hamilton we did two excursions

First  was the Masterworks museum . We were six , and our docent was the director of the museum ! This niche collective is focused on art work about Bermuda. 
From Princess Louise , daughter of Queen  Victoria, watercolor painting , through  famous Amercian  and Bermudian artists it is a nice collection. Gave me a deeper understanding of what attracted artist to paint Bermuda. 
even the elevator is covered in art work ! 
Afternoon, went on boat excursion   to view the land ,islands , and learn about the famous and rich who have houses here. Or made their money on this island .

my favorite was the small white house Mark Twain lived in when he was on island . 
tomorrow, I will relax , read my book , sit by infinity pool and chat with all the wonderful passengers so have met in the last 24 or on Our roll call !

time for sail away…..

Cheers 

Patti

[Azulann]

Captain just announced that we will not sail away till dawn around 6;15. He is waiting for guests  who were delayed from getting here yesterday.! Hope those from Detroit cancelled  flight are some of those who will

board tonight !

Glad Viking is doing everything they can to help guest get to Bermuda for their cruise , in spite of air  BTA obstacles. 
 

[bgtraveler2]

13 hours ago, Azulann said:

The view from our aft stateroom in Hamilton. LOL

Unpacked . Plenty of drawers for both of us. On Orion there is a set of 4 drawers in the closet plus a set in hallway. Had the coffee maker & tray removed for more storage for us. 
Ronnie and Indra are our room stewards . They explained the saliva tubes. Spit , spit some more , to the 2m line. We did this upon arriving in our room. Do it each morning before 11. Wear a tracing device on a lanyard either around your neck or in your pocket. It must be on your person outside your room. Temp taking once a day , face recognition scanner outside the restaurant , world cafe. Sanitizer machines all over the ship. Feel totally safe and appreciate Viking health protocols .

Many  first time Viking cruisers , some have done river cruisers but first time on Ocean cruise. 
Easy to make appointments for spa , fitness or change add excursions for us. Sister going to gym at 6 am everyday. I will have a facial on second sea day after we have our hour in the thermal spa. The snow grotto is not working😟

We changed our excursion for today. We are going to Art museum botanical gardens in morning and the Famous Homes and Hideway cruise in mid afternoon. 
Had dinner in Restaurant , window table . They have a category called destination menu. Had the blackened grouper, cab cake soufflé, steamed veggies and rum raisin ice cream. We were in bed by 10 .

 

We were on last week and did those 2 excursions. They were wonderful! Enjoy!  After a long travel day the black grouper in the Restaurant at a window table was exactly what we needed! We thought it was a fun, great week. We were spoiled by fewer passengers on the ship and very accommodating crew!

[bgtraveler2]

On 7/13/2021 at 9:48 AM, lattefun said:

So excited to start this trip today ONLY to receive a text at 2:00 am that our Inited flight leaving at 7:00 am was cancelled and rescheduled for 7/14.  This resulted in our PCR test being ineligible to enter Bermuda.  Spoke with Viking and our trip was then cancelled.  I highly recommend not flying through Newark.  We just received notice from United that tomorrow’s flight would most likely be cancelled.  What a major disappointment this has been☹️

So sorry for you. We just returned home yesterday. We were notified on Monday that our flight from Newark to our home town was cancelled. United was nice enough to rebook us on a flight to Chicago...a 6 hour drive from our home!! Really?? Guest Services was amazing making all changes with Viking Air for us and we came back on Delta instead. Suggest everyone check your texts and ensure your return flights don't get cancelled!!

[molymoo]

8 hours ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

 

I disembarked yesterday & am home now. This was the best cruise I've had on Viking. The entire crew stopped at nothing to treat us like royalty. From the senior officers who stopped by to chat each morning as I had coffee in The Living Room, the phenomenal meals under chef Gary, all the servers & room attendants, Brian the CD, & the guest lectures, you are in for a service extravaganza! 

I feel much the same way “Myrtle”.  This was our 8th Viking ocean cruise but it will stand out as very, very special.  I think there is a strong emotional component this time.  It just felt so darned good to be onboard again and the crew seemed to be genuinely thrilled to be there for us!  We broke “protocol” and hugged our room stewards when we departed!  They were wonderful!  

Edited July 14, 2021 by molymoo

[Britcnm]

3 hours ago, Azulann said:

Captain just announced that we will not sail away till dawn around 6;15. He is waiting for guests  who were delayed from getting here yesterday.! Hope those from Detroit cancelled  flight are some of those who will

board tonight !

Glad Viking is doing everything they can to help guest get to Bermuda for their cruise , in spite of air  BTA obstacles. 
 

I am interested to see how all that worked with the travel authorization and COVID testing times

[Azulann]

New view from my balcony today.🥳

Sea Day : eat, read, sit in sun, lectures, shop, think about booking another cruise, eat , drink, walk the promenade deck , sport deck , repeat all of the above . 

 

 

[Louhut1]

Patti.  Love your aft view.   Enjoy.  Louise

[pattymckay]

Hi Patti (from Patty), I'm enjoying your Live blog.  I'm going August 3, wondering if you might be able to share the current itinerary (seems they have dropped St. George's as a port and added a day in Dockyard and Hamilton instead....)     And also, for the excursions you had booked in St. George's, are they cancelled, or how are they being handled?  Thanks!

 

[blacksmith]

2 hours ago, pattymckay said:

Hi Patti (from Patty), I'm enjoying your Live blog.  I'm going August 3, wondering if you might be able to share the current itinerary (seems they have dropped St. George's as a port and added a day in Dockyard and Hamilton instead....)     And also, for the excursions you had booked in St. George's, are they cancelled, or how are they being handled?  Thanks!

 

I’m not Patti but I can tell you that none of the St George excursions have been cancelled. In my opinion it’s a blessing that we don’t have to deal with tethering for St George. I guess all of the excursions are accessible from the other ports. 
Right now (sea day) we are moving at around 5 knots on a calm sea ( like a lake). 
Having a wonderful time and headed for Chefs Table (California Menu) in a few minutes. 
Very different cruise but we are loving it.

No white caps 

[MarkBearSF]

Hi Patty,

The current schedule is
Tues, Wed - Hamilton
Thurs - at sea
Fri, Sat - Dockyards/King's Wharf
Sun - at sea
Mon - Hamilton
Thus - disembark Hamilton

Most of the excursions have been rescheduled to fit the new schedule. For instance, the St George's tour has been moved to departing from Hamilton from St George's and the existing King's Wharf tours have been rescheduled. They have also added a few excursions. They have been very helpful and flexible.
 

[Azulann]

Mark , thanks for the actual schedule for the rest of the cruise. I  am so relaxed , I don’t   Temper which day it is . I do know we are going to Chef table tonight , the Abba show at 9:15 pm and tomorrow we will dock in the Dockyards overnight . I might cancel a excursion . Also look at any new ones added . 
Had to make a appointment to see the cruise consultant about cuter cruises . Seeing him at 7pm.

 

One observation :the various living rooms seating or common space seating , all have lots of small pillows scattered around  for your use . Loved it in the Star theater today as I was listening to lecture on Bermuda Beginnings. Learned about the Atlantic Ocean . Also his throw away line was that the magnetic pole might change to South Pole in our lifetime !!!!’

just a natural occurrence . 
 

Cheers  
Patti

[CCWineLover]

On 7/14/2021 at 6:35 AM, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

Patti - I'm so excited for you! After all the planning & challenge to get onboard, now you're here. Relax, enjoy yourself, & have the time of your life!

 

I disembarked yesterday & am home now. This was the best cruise I've had on Viking. The entire crew stopped at nothing to treat us like royalty. From the senior officers who stopped by to chat each morning as I had coffee in The Living Room, the phenomenal meals under chef Gary, all the servers & room attendants, Brian the CD, & the guest lectures, you are in for a service extravaganza! 

 

Stand out crew whom I'm missing already are Denys, Clareifel, Jennifer, Robert, Zharko in The Restaurant. Alexandra, Igor, Vladimir, Vincent, Michael, Andro in Bar/Beverage, the entire Guest Relations team! My favorite guest lecturer was Dr. Sherry Hutt.

 

Can't wait to see your cruise experience unfold on here. Bon Voyage Patti !

 

Hi Vincent - so glad you are home safely!   We echo your thoughts - we had an amazing cruise and for us, at least, it all clicked, from flights to tours to ship schedules . . .    Plus the always fantastic crew and wonderful meals and bar drinks!    After hearing about issues with Iceland, airline flight cancellations, and Malta sudden restrictions, I have to think we had the best of it all and were quite fortunate.

 

I'll add to your list Chris and Ralph in the Explorer's Lounge, where we spend a decent amount of time.    And will agree with you on Dr. Sherry Hutt.  We were fortunate to have the chance to spend some time talking with her in the World Cafe one evening.  She's led an amazing life and is so full of energy, ideas, and experiences to share.  Slight plug - she has a blog on cruising in fact.

www.cruisethroughhistory.com

 

 

[MarkBearSF]

They added a Sunset Glass Bottom Boat cruise to Hamilton. (Hopefully the glass bottom part will be before it get's dark. It starts at 6:30). We signed up for this and moved our St George's tour to 10:15 AM, to space the two excursions apart. 

[Azulann]

We are now at the Naval Dockyards . Beautiful day , blue sky, no rain. 
Breakfast  on our balcony ! Food was hot and right on time. 
I cancelled the catamaran excursion for this morning. My sister went  , she will swim , snorkel . There are 5 catamarans leaving this morning for the 3 hrs excursion. They have also added a snorkel excursion to  shipwrecks. 
I will walk around Dockyard this afternoon.

meanwhile I am enjoying a quiet ship this morning. 
As Molymoo said, Relaxing is my motto . I want to begin my book that I have been carrying around. , unopened .  I will do laundry . I know some will think I am crazy, but I love the ability to do laundry on board. I wear cotton and linens mostly and this included feature is so nice.

We have a resident astronomer Charles Armstrong on board. Tonight at 10:30 we can join him on the Sport deck for a guided tour of the night sky. We bring our Quietbox, binoculars if you have them,  and a mobile device with a built in flashlight . I definitely want to do this tonight. 
We ate at Chef  Table last night. Had table next to window and saw gorgeous sunset during eating the California meal with  wine pairings. They list the wines for both included wines and  premium wine list with each course. The halibut was tasty , the other courses interesting. 
mourn excursion to St George will be on Monday when we are Hamilton.

we talked to cruise consultant and thinking of booking a cruise  that includes Denmark  for 2023. These sailings for 2022 are basically sold out . Looking at Baltic and Russia , or Homeland cruise .

Cheers , I will add Aaron the bartender at the pool Bar.to list of great crew members. He makes a great Golden Margarita! 

 

Patti 
 

 

Edited July 16, 2021 by Azulann

[SRHall64]

3 hours ago, Azulann said:

Breakfast  on our balcony ! Food was hot and right on time.

Are there time frames that limit ordering breakfast for your cabin or is it available at any time?  My dad likes to sleep late so I thought it might be an option after the dining rooms have stopped breakfast service.

[molymoo]

1 hour ago, SRHall64 said:

Are there time frames that limit ordering breakfast for your cabin or is it available at any time?  My dad likes to sleep late so I thought it might be an option after the dining rooms have stopped breakfast service.

There are breakfast hours noted on the special breakfast menu and I really don’t remember what they are … but … I can almost guarantee that if you call for room service and ask for something from the breakfast menu they will oblige.  We’ve done quite a few Viking cruises and have found that unless it is illegal, immoral, dangerous, or just plain preposterous they will never say “no”!

[pattymckay]

23 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Hi Patty,

The current schedule is
Tues, Wed - Hamilton

Thanks so much!!!

[MarkBearSF]

We went on a wonderful catamaran/swim/snorkel excursion this afternoon. The water was beautiful. 

Tomorrow, we don't have any excursions scheduled, but are planning to take a taxi to the nearby Pompano Beach Club for lunch. 

Tonight is Manfredi's. I'm thinking steak. We enjoyed the Asian menu at the Chef's Table and have signed up for Mexican on Sunday night. (Coming from San Francisco, the California Cuisine menu wasn't appealing - also because the main course is fish, which my husband is allergic to)

Everything is fabulous. I can't imagine a more wonderful return to sea.