Live from the Viking Star World Cruise 2021-22

[shipboy]

Thoroughly enjoyed your blogs, safe journey home

[Current Vintage]

Viking could award you and Arlona "Ambassador" status for showing us all your marvelous photography and excellent commentary, besides your humor, honesty, generosity and dedication!

We can not wait to board our Viking ship for our next "little" adventure!!

[duquephart]

4 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

The ones in my blog? Google maps, Photoshop, and a pen tool. Nothing fancy.

 

Thought maybe from the dailies. Thanks.

[gymfreak]

I haven’t commented until now, I really should have done but here goes

What a truly vivid and inspirational journey you have both taken us on. I have avidly followed the twists and turns of you’re  amazing adventure with  laughter a few tears and most of all a massive respect to you both for allowing us to be part of your mind blowing journey .

Safe travels home and a million thanks.

Vicki

[Moonlion]

Another daily "lurker" here who thoroughly enjoyed your travel blog and photographs!  I didn't miss a day. 

 

Safe travels home!

 

P.S., you should consider a second "career" as a travel writer and photographer 😉

[rizello]

I will also chime in that I have thoroughly enjoyed living vicariously through the daily blogs.  I will probably never have the opportunity for a world cruise, but seeing your posts each day allowed me to experience it through your eyes.  Thank you!

[Liz Masterson]

I’ve enjoyed both the posts and the blogs. Sometimes I lost track of a blog address so it was nice to be able to find them here. I’d rather a blogger just post the link to their blog whenever they post than post a long Cruise Critic Board post each day. Folks who want to click will click, and others will scroll on. I was reading 3 blogs each night and enjoyed them all!

[hersheyhughes]

Gerry and Arlona,

After all these days of following you along your world journey I feel I went along. The photographs were so amazing, from the birds, animals, sculptures, and all of the beautiful churches.

Seeing some of the ports brought back memories. Others, hoping to see in the future.

Viking certainly made this an unforgettable voyage for you, as well as the many of us who went along for the ride.

Hope your travels home went smoothly.

Kimberly Hughes

[GKTV32162]

World Cruise Day 163/163 - Back in the US, Back in the US, Back in the USA!


https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/06/world-cruise-day-163163-back-in-us-back.html

[Jjg34219]

Welcome home! You mention the aircraft, Boeing 767, in our last few trips we have been comparing Airbus vs Boeing and we much prefer Airbus…slightly more legroom and seats way more comfortable. 
And we have flown the new Boeing 737 Max 8 and let me tell ya there isnt even elbow room in economy and seats have no cushion! 

[GKTV32162]

1 hour ago, Jjg34219 said:

Welcome home! You mention the aircraft, Boeing 767, in our last few trips we have been comparing Airbus vs Boeing and we much prefer Airbus…slightly more legroom and seats way more comfortable. 
And we have flown the new Boeing 737 Max 8 and let me tell ya there isnt even elbow room in economy and seats have no cushion! 

Agreed. The A321 from JFK to MCO was much nicer, but the seats had little back support. Ahh, the "luxury" of air travel. 😀

[Rabbit27]

How wonderful you are home safe and sound! How humble that the Viking team said good bye in style love it!!!! 
We leave in 2 weeks for the homelands cruise the Star of course 😍 but 40 hours from Australia for us to avoid air space 🙈 so from Sydney to Tokyo then to London then to Berlin thank god we had 3 years to save for our first ever business class airfare with Japan airlines plus a thousand different changes to flights etc we will get there and hopefully one day we will meet on a world cruise we will keep working and working to get there ! This will be our 2nd cruise with Viking! 
sleep tight . 😊
 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Rabbit27

[duquephart]

4 hours ago, Jjg34219 said:

Welcome home! You mention the aircraft, Boeing 767, in our last few trips we have been comparing Airbus vs Boeing and we much prefer Airbus…slightly more legroom and seats way more comfortable. 
And we have flown the new Boeing 737 Max 8 and let me tell ya there isnt even elbow room in economy and seats have no cushion! 

 

The aircraft is configured by the airline - is it not? People blame the aircraft for how the seats are positioned/cushioned?

[Fred321]

Thoroughly enjoyed your daily reports. We are scheduled for our fifth world cruise this Jan. on HAL using up fcc's from the aborted 2020. Because of that debacle and the fact that they sold the ship that they have used for all of our previous world's we decided to give Viking a try and are booked on the 2023-24 world cruise on the Viking Sky. Your reports were really great in giving us an idea of what to expect. I also agree that folks on these types of long cruises who don't take the time to get to know the staff are truly missing out on some of the best parts of the trip. Thanks again.

[GKTV32162]

World Cruise Day...there are no more days - The Final Post, by the numbers

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/06/world-cruise-daythere-are-no-more-days.html

[TayanaLorna]

14 hours ago, UWDawg said:

Unfortunately, the poor internet performance for much of the 21/22 world cruise made it more difficult to keep up with not only the Cruise Critic conversations, but other online interactions.  Email, online banking, and even catching news on daily events (e.g., Covid progression, Ukraine invasion, etc.) were nearly impossible at times.  I recall having to fill out a mandatory U.S. Census form that took 2 1/2 hours when it was estimated to take 20 minutes because the connection kept timing out.  Some folks, such as @GKTV32162 seemed to have figured out a way around the poor internet performance.  As for me, I chose to spend my time engaging in other onboard activities.  I found the multiple daily enrichment lectures very informative and beneficial.  On sea days I would usually take in two lectures in the morning and another in the afternoon.  If there was a port talk, we would attend that as well.  While others participated in art classes or gaming, we participated in wine tastings after lunch and liquor tastings or mixology classes in the evenings after dinner and before the nightly entertainment show in the Star Theater.  It sometimes took hours for my texts to go through to family and friends and sending the occasional photo usually resulted in a dreaded "Message not delivered" response.  Hopefully, the WC 21/22 internet performance problems aren't the norm.  Sorry for not being more active on this forum during the cruise, but I decided to make lemonade out of lemons and spend more time engaged in the onboard activities offered by Viking.  

Although we take tons of photos and i write stories we never edit and post until we have time once we are home and even that takes months sometimes.  Even with multiple sea days in a row we find something to do on board.  I can be extremely active on my CC roll call before the cruise but barely log in once sailing.  We each have our travel priorities so i get it.

[PasadenaDave]

3 hours ago, GKTV32162 said:

World Cruise Day...there are no more days - The Final Post, by the numbers

 

https://kolbsontheroad.blogspot.com/2022/06/world-cruise-daythere-are-no-more-days.html

Good thing you have three weeks of relaxation before the crowds of Princess 

[GKTV32162]

4 minutes ago, PasadenaDave said:

Good thing you have three weeks of relaxation before the crowds of Princess 

Yeah. Not looking forward to full cruises. We are definitely spoiled.

[Insanityx4]

I'm curious as where you are off to next month?

[GKTV32162]

6 minutes ago, Insanityx4 said:

I'm curious as where you are off to next month?

Just a basic week in the Caribbean. Credits from 2020 cancelations are expiring. Use or lose.

[Travelerstory]

Gary and Arlona, welcome home!  Take a welcome deserved rest.

 

We look forward to tagging along on the nest world cruise. Leaving from Fort Lauderdale in December of 2022. We will be in FL a few days early, just to make sure we don't have any problems with flighks ts, AND we want to explore Fort Lauderdale. Any hints on what we should do in those few days?

 

Thank,s as well as to anyone having some input on what to do in Fort Lauderdale while we are there.

[gadabout60]

Garry are you blogging on Princess?

[GKTV32162]

7 hours ago, Travelerstory said:

Gary and Arlona, welcome home!  Take a welcome deserved rest.

 

We look forward to tagging along on the nest world cruise. Leaving from Fort Lauderdale in December of 2022. We will be in FL a few days early, just to make sure we don't have any problems with flighks ts, AND we want to explore Fort Lauderdale. Any hints on what we should do in those few days?

 

Thank,s as well as to anyone having some input on what to do in Fort Lauderdale while we are there.

We live about four hours from Ft. Lauderdale so I don't have any recommendations, sorry  enjoy the WC!

[GKTV32162]

3 hours ago, gadabout60 said:

Garry are you blogging on Princess?

I'm planning on it.

[ellbelle]

@GKTV32162 Thank you so much for wonderful blog which I looked forward to reading every morning while drinking my coffee and enjoying the quiet house. I'm not sure what my new routine will now be! I've been unable to post comments directly on your blog (after posting one or two) but I think it may be a setting thing for me recognizing that I have a blogspot account (nothing is on it). I look forward to your upcoming cruise blog and if you decide on another WC I will certainly be there for the "ride".

 

Thanks Again!!!!