Almost Live - Viking Sky - Mediterranean Odyssey - April 2023

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, kctwinmommy said:

I bookmarked the Barcelona tour page too, since that's something we'll want to look into for sure. We have the overnight there, but still deciding if we stay one more night and then fly out.

Spend as much time in Barcelona as possible. So much to see and do there. 

[kctwinmommy]

10 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Spend as much time in Barcelona as possible. So much to see and do there. 

I know, but it will be at the end of 26 days of traveling, so we're going to be a little bit spent by then I'm sure. We have the overnight we're docked there, so we may stay one night at a hotel before flying home. We'll have to see...

[wine-wine-wine]

8 hours ago, kctwinmommy said:

 

And yeah, I have a  feeling we'll end up doing Pompeii. It's always been a bucket list item for me honestly. I still remember as a kid, when the National Geographic came out with the artifacts on the cover!

Hopefully you can see the magnificently restored House of Dionysus. The frescoes are amazing!

[kctwinmommy]

3 minutes ago, wine-wine-wine said:

Hopefully you can see the magnificently restored House of Dionysus. The frescoes are amazing!

I had to look up where that is, and I see it's on Cyprus. We're not going there.

[wine-wine-wine]

Just now, kctwinmommy said:

I had to look up where that is, and I see it's on Cyprus. We're not going there.

Sorry had the name wrong. Villa of the mysteries. They depict the initiation into the mysteries of Dionysus. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Mysteries

[OneSixtyToOne]

Villa of the Mysteries

http://pompeiisites.org/en/archaeological-site/villa-of-the-mysteries/

[kctwinmommy]

31 minutes ago, wine-wine-wine said:

Sorry had the name wrong. Villa of the mysteries. They depict the initiation into the mysteries of Dionysus. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_of_the_Mysteries

OK, that makes more sense! LOL! Looks amazing! I have a feeling we're going to go to Pompeii. I know it's where I've always wanted to go.

[MeRose]

Hi,

We spent 2 extra days in Barcelona after Viking cruise.  Time well spent.  And I want to thank this board group for all the wonderful advice.  We did schedule a 'Barcelona Day Tours' - it was a half day tour with a group of 10 and and the guide was excellent.  The tour was called Barcelona Highlights. Price was $99 euros per person, as we selected the extra options Sagrada Familia inside tour with full audio guide, and the Park Guell entrance. There was a little over lap (Sagrada Familia exterior tour) with Viking's included tour (which was two days earlier) but we actually appreciated a different perspective from the different guides.  So THANK YOU!

[davidrray]

We are on that same tour in about 10 days. Looking forward to it 

[kctwinmommy]

4 hours ago, MeRose said:

Hi,

We spent 2 extra days in Barcelona after Viking cruise.  Time well spent.  And I want to thank this board group for all the wonderful advice.  We did schedule a 'Barcelona Day Tours' - it was a half day tour with a group of 10 and and the guide was excellent.  The tour was called Barcelona Highlights. Price was $99 euros per person, as we selected the extra options Sagrada Familia inside tour with full audio guide, and the Park Guell entrance. There was a little over lap (Sagrada Familia exterior tour) with Viking's included tour (which was two days earlier) but we actually appreciated a different perspective from the different guides.  So THANK YOU!

Where did you book this through?

[OneSixtyToOne]

31 minutes ago, kctwinmommy said:

Where did you book this through?

Their website 

https://barcelonadaytours.com

 

The tickets to visit the interior of the La Sagrada Familia are sold only by the church but they will purchase them for you to coincide the timed entry with their tour. Tickets sell out well in advance so book as early as possible.

 

Barcelona Day Tours are a family run company and really give you personalized service. One of the best I’ve used.

Edited June 18, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[kctwinmommy]

4 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Their website 

https://barcelonadaytours.com

 

The tickets to visit the interior of the La Sagrada Familia are sold only by the church but they will purchase them for you to coincide the timed entry with their tour. Tickets sell out well in advance so book as early as possible.

 

Barcelona Day Tours are a family run company and really give you personalized service. One of the best I’ve used.

Thanks! That's what I thought it was. I already bookmarked it. 😃 We just have to figure out our plans for the time we're there. We dock at 8:00 a.m. on a Friday, but spend the night there and disembark on Saturday. So we may end up spending just Saturday night and flying back on Sunday then.

[sneakerladywnc]

Just reviewing your blog as our excursion booking site opens up on Saturday (9/2) for our Nov. 7 sailing. Your photos and descriptions are so worthwhile...thanks so much!  Wondering if you heard any feedback from fellow passengers on several of the excursions (that it looks you didn't do), specifically: the Day in Tuscany (San Gimignano and lunch at an agriturismo.) We're considering that vs. a private, unguided day trip to San G and Volterra with Bella Italia tours. Also wondering if you heard anything about the Cassis/Calanques excursion out of Marseille. Trying to prioritize which excursions to try to reserve first as we're in the middle group for access. Appreciate any thoughts and happy future travels!

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, sneakerladywnc said:

Just reviewing your blog as our excursion booking site opens up on Saturday (9/2) for our Nov. 7 sailing. Your photos and descriptions are so worthwhile...thanks so much!  Wondering if you heard any feedback from fellow passengers on several of the excursions (that it looks you didn't do), specifically: the Day in Tuscany (San Gimignano and lunch at an agriturismo.) We're considering that vs. a private, unguided day trip to San G and Volterra with Bella Italia tours. Also wondering if you heard anything about the Cassis/Calanques excursion out of Marseille. Trying to prioritize which excursions to try to reserve first as we're in the middle group for access. Appreciate any thoughts and happy future travels!

Although I haven’t heard anything about that particular San Gimignano tour, we did take the Tuscany post cruise extension on the Journey to Antiquities cruise last January. That included Sienna and San G plus lunch in the afternoon. The tour you are referencing sounds pretty close to the 2nd half of our day. It’s a wonderful town to experience and the guide was exceptional. Whatever tour you chose, you really can’t go wrong in Tuscany. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.
 

Here is my writeup:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2906353-almost-live-viking-sky-journey-to-antiquities-jan-2023/page/4/#comment-64754152

 

Edited August 27, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[sneakerladywnc]

1 hour ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Although I haven’t heard anything about that particular San Gimignano tour, we did take the Tuscany post cruise extension on the Journey to Antiquities cruise last January. That included Sienna and San G plus lunch in the afternoon. The tour you are referencing sounds pretty close to the 2nd half of our day. It’s a wonderful town to experience and the guide was exceptional. Whatever tour you chose, you really can’t go wrong in Tuscany. It’s one of my favorite places to visit.
 

Here is my writeup:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2906353-almost-live-viking-sky-journey-to-antiquities-jan-2023/page/4/#comment-64754152

 

Thanks! Appreciate your insights and you getting back to me.

[OneSixtyToOne]

For future travelers, I've added a PDF of the shore excursions that were available on this cruise

MedOdyShoreX.pdf

[PaulS]

Thank you for posting the shore excursions as we will be on this itinerary next summer. Are any of the listed excursions the included excursions? If so, how can you tell?

Thanks

[kctwinmommy]

8 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

For future travelers, I've added a PDF of the shore excursions that were available on this cruise

MedOdyShoreX.pdf 373.03 kB · 41 downloads

 

Wow! Thank you so much!!! This is very helpful for some of our cruise (we start in Athens). And like @PaulS said, any way to tell us which was the included excursion. I know these things are always subject to change, but thank you!

[Mitina]

13 hours ago, PaulS said:

Are any of the listed excursions the included excursions? If so, how can you tell?

If you check the itinerary on the Viking website they usually identify the Included excursions.  Everything else are the optional ones.

[PaulS]

21 minutes ago, Mitina said:

If you check the itinerary on the Viking website they usually identify the Included excursions.  Everything else are the optional ones.

Thanks for the tip. The included excursions are all showing under the descriptions for each day.

[CKspring]

On our previous visit we took the excursion to Pompeii. This time we opted for Herculean.

 

Did Viking charge for these excursions? If so, how much? Our TA has an Almafi Coast and Pompeii tour available.

[OneSixtyToOne]

3 hours ago, CKspring said:

On our previous visit we took the excursion to Pompeii. This time we opted for Herculean.

 

Did Viking charge for these excursions? If so, how much? Our TA has an Almafi Coast and Pompeii tour available.

They were both optional excursions. I’ll have to dig around through old email too find prices. I believe they were in the $200 pp range. We also took the  included excursion. That was a typical bus ride, photo op, and walk.

 

Edit:

I no longer have the invoices just the final docs, and they don’t have pricing. Here are the descriptions:

 

ITNAP03 Pompeii: A City of Beauty & Ruin Duration: 4.00 Hours
Date: April 08, 2023 09:15 AM Available, 01:00 PM Available
A Picture of Ancient Life Frozen in Time -- In 79 AD when Mt. Vesuvius erupted, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of
ash. Excavation has revealed with astounding precision exactly what life was like on that day. During your guided tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will walk ancient cobblestone warrens past baths, temples, an amphitheater and the forum—public buildings once teeming with life. Peer into the mansions of the wealthy and the more modest homes of the working class. See remarkable plaster casts of victims, anchored to the moment of catastrophe: a mother protecting her child, a dog tied to its chain. As you explore, your guide will describe a typical day in Pompeii. Learn about its catastrophic destruction, centuries-long disappearance under stone and ash and rediscovery during the 17th century.

ITNAP04 Ancient Herculaneum
Duration: 3.50 Hours
Date: April 08, 2023 09:15 AM Limited Availability
Explore a Perfectly Preserved Ancient City -- Discover the “other Pompeii,” often overlooked for its more famous neighbor but equally fascinating. Situated close to Mt. Vesuvius, the upper-class seafront town of Herculaneum was also destroyed by the great eruption of 79 AD, but not by fire and ash. Rather, flowing hot mud engulfed the town, poured into its buildings and preserved them from total destruction. The town remained buried for 1,600 years. As you explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site in its stunning setting between mountains and ocean, you will admire mosaics and frescoes that have retained their rich colors and details; and buildings and bathhouses that are remarkably intact with complete roofs, beds and doors. Step back in time during a walking tour of this incredible site with your guide, who will share stories of daily life here. Then enjoy free time on your own before returning to your ship.
I

Edited August 5 by OneSixtyToOne

[ural guy]

OneSixty-  I've probably asked this before and have forgotten...as a DV6, we can book tours for our Januaury cruise starting 4 October.

 

When does the detailed tours list, with time slots, become available? A month or so prior to that, so people in suites can make their decisions?

 

KCT was kind enough to post .pdf of the optional tour list, but it doesn't have times.  

 

Thanks.

[millybess]

6 minutes ago, ural guy said:

When does the detailed tours list, with time slots, become available? A month or so prior to that, so people in suites can make their decisions?

Our excursions were posted 165 days before our January cruise with departures, costs, etc.

[ural guy]

6 hours ago, millybess said:

Our excursions were posted 165 days before our January cruise with departures, costs, etc.

Thanks, we're at 168 days now....so exciting.