West Indies Explorer

[moatenote]

Would appreciate any information about this cruise if you've been on it.  Thanks!

[millybess]

We did this cruise in January 2020 and we really enjoyed it. We have been thinking about doing it again and Jim Avery’s thread on his recent cruise clinched the deal!  Today we booked it for 2024. 

[basenji56]

Just got back from this cruise. Highly recommended.  Only advice is to book the optional excursions rather than the included excursions.  The included excursions tend to be very short--and sometimes overlap with the optional ones.

 

[photopro2]

3 minutes ago, basenji56 said:

Just got back from this cruise. Highly recommended

Thanks for the tip on excursions. I would also be interested to know of any special events that you recall and on which evening of the cruise they took place. I'm thinking specifically of the Explorers club reception and dancing under the stars but anything else you can remember would help with dining planning.

[basenji56]

14 minutes ago, photopro2 said:

Thanks for the tip on excursions. I would also be interested to know of any special events that you recall and on which evening of the cruise they took place. I'm thinking specifically of the Explorers club reception and dancing under the stars but anything else you can remember would help with dining planning.

I am not big on special events so unfortunately can't be much help.  The big event on this sailing was New Years Eve.  

[photopro2]

Oh yes, that would've been a big night 😀🍾🍾

[cfgrandma]

20 hours ago, millybess said:

We did this cruise in January 2020 and we really enjoyed it. We have been thinking about doing it again and Jim Avery’s thread on his recent cruise clinched the deal!  Today we booked it for 2024. 

Can you pass on a link to Jim’s thread for me please? I searched but didn’t see it. We are doing the Feb 9th cruise.

 

Thank you,

 

Carolyn

[millybess]

16 minutes ago, cfgrandma said:

Can you pass on a link to Jim’s thread for me please? I searched but didn’t see it. We are doing the Feb 9th cruise.

 

Thank you,

 

Carolyn

 

[Andy_Ottawa]

We have just returned from the West Indies Explorer Jan 30 - Feb 9, 2023.  We have cruised the Caribbean with other lines and we have cruised Viking (Ocean and River) before. We hoped Viking would be able to provide a more in-depth experience of the area and we were fairly satisfied. But the no-sea-days itinerary meant that enrichment experiences (and fun activities on board) were limited. Port talks were disappointing, giving less background on the destinations' history than we'd hoped for. Sharing each port with up to four huge cruise ships meant that shore excursions or port exploration was crowded and some tours felt rushed. All to be expected on a Caribbean cruise during peak season, but to enjoy best that Viking can offer, we think there are better balanced itineraries available in other parts of the world.  So, in summary, we enjoyed it, but for us it didn't offer the unique feel of previous Viking cruises.