Back-to-back but switching out cabinmates

[FoggyEthan]

Hello all! I've got a (perhaps) series of uncommon situations and I'm wondering if anyone knows how Viking will handle it. I will be on both the July 29 one-week sailing on the Star from Amsterdam to Bergen, and the following two-week sailing from Bergen to Reykjavik. And yes, same cabin on both legs.

 

BUT I'm switching out cabinmates. In Bergen I'm swapping out my husband for a friend. This means that the two sailings are under independent bookings.

 

Also somewhat unusual is that the ship overnights in Bergen on the second cruise, i.e. days 1 and 2 are Bergen. So my husband will be kicked out and will stay on at a hotel in Bergen for a couple of nights, while I stay an additional night on the ship with my friend. Perhaps I should spend that night with him in Bergen, have dinner in Bergen, rather than on the ship. No potential awkwardness here I'm sure.

 

Anyhoos, anyone seen anything like this before and know how it works? I have questions, but advice for questions that I don't even know to ask would be appreciated!

 

Obviously I will make sure that the staff on board, both room steward and customer service, all know. I'm not sure whether I can get any accurate answers from the Viking USA telephone customer service people.

 

I'm wondering whether I and/or my husband will be allowed to stay on board during the transition time. i.e. will we be kicked off the ship in the morning? Presumably his luggage, which is put out the night before, will need to be picked up from the Bergen pier promptly, before 11am when new travelers start checking in? Any chance that my husband and I can wait about the ship until she boards and meets us, and then we all leave and grab his bags from the pier and go to his hotel?

 

Thanks for any advice! I wish we could just message the ship's own customer service team.

[OneSixtyToOne]

Due to security concerns, I doubt anyone who is not booked on the 2nd leg of the cruise will be allowed to stay aboard. They need everyone to swipe their card at disembarkation to make sure everyone is accounted for.

You can ask while aboard but I seriously doubt they will allow it. Seems like a violation of their security procedures. It might also be an insurance liability issue. What if your husband is injured aboard? He is no longer a passenger.

Edited January 4 by OneSixtyToOne

[Heidi13]

3 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

Hello all! I've got a (perhaps) series of uncommon situations and I'm wondering if anyone knows how Viking will handle it. I will be on both the July 29 one-week sailing on the Star from Amsterdam to Bergen, and the following two-week sailing from Bergen to Reykjavik. And yes, same cabin on both legs.

 

BUT I'm switching out cabinmates. In Bergen I'm swapping out my husband for a friend. This means that the two sailings are under independent bookings.

 

Also somewhat unusual is that the ship overnights in Bergen on the second cruise, i.e. days 1 and 2 are Bergen. So my husband will be kicked out and will stay on at a hotel in Bergen for a couple of nights, while I stay an additional night on the ship with my friend. Perhaps I should spend that night with him in Bergen, have dinner in Bergen, rather than on the ship. No potential awkwardness here I'm sure.

 

Anyhoos, anyone seen anything like this before and know how it works? I have questions, but advice for questions that I don't even know to ask would be appreciated!

 

Obviously I will make sure that the staff on board, both room steward and customer service, all know. I'm not sure whether I can get any accurate answers from the Viking USA telephone customer service people.

 

I'm wondering whether I and/or my husband will be allowed to stay on board during the transition time. i.e. will we be kicked off the ship in the morning? Presumably his luggage, which is put out the night before, will need to be picked up from the Bergen pier promptly, before 11am when new travelers start checking in? Any chance that my husband and I can wait about the ship until she boards and meets us, and then we all leave and grab his bags from the pier and go to his hotel?

 

Thanks for any advice! I wish we could just message the ship's own customer service team.

 

Since you are in transit from 1 cruise to the next, you should have no issues staying aboard the vessel. You will be advised of any specific requirements of the local authorities, but usually it entails going to the gangway, swiping out with the old card and swiping on with the new card.

 

Since your husband is departing the vessel, he will have to disembark by the requested time and will have no further access to the vessel as a pax. However, during the first cruise, you could submit a request to the Master or Staff Captain, explaining the situation and asking if he can come back aboard as a guest.

 

The ship's security manual in accordance with the ISPS Code, most likely has procedures for approving guests. If the Master approves the request, you would then follow the requirements for bringing a guest onboard.

 

Please don't waste time asking the shore staff in L/A, as they will have no knowledge of onboard security procedures and will provide a negative response.

[FoggyEthan]

What is it like on board when transiting? Are there restrictions on where you're allowed to be? Are all the services shut down, like food and drink, spa, pools?

[Peregrina651]

On 1/5/2024 at 1:25 PM, FoggyEthan said:

What is it like on board when transiting? Are there restrictions on where you're allowed to be? Are all the services shut down, like food and drink, spa, pools?

 

Turnover day is like any other day on board. Everything runs as normal. Only the faces change.  Food service will run its regular hours. The only difference is that some passengers are headed home and new passengers are arriving.

 

Yes, definitely spend the day with your husband; it will give your friends a chance to unpack and settle in -- and nap if necessary. If you do decide to spend the night on shore, let the ship know that you be gone overnight. Also, since you aren't rushing off the ship and don't have to vacate your cabin, consider a late, leisurely breakfast (in the Restaurant if it is open; it will be quieter there).

 

Before you leave for the day, you will have to get a new key card. Talk to Guest Services before you head off the ship for the day (or maybe even the day before).  Use the old card to disembark for the day; use the new card to embark later in the day. Beware! The cards look alike. (Put them in different pants pockets  -- left off, right on).

 

[FoggyEthan]

3 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Turnover day is like any other day on board. Everything runs as normal. Only the faces change.  Food service will run its regular hours. The only difference is that some passengers are headed home and new passengers are arriving.

 

Yes, definitely spend the day with your husband; it will give your friends a chance to unpack and settle in -- and nap if necessary. If you do decide to spend the night on shore, let the ship know that you be gone overnight. Also, since you aren't rushing off the ship and don't have to vacate your cabin, consider a late, leisurely breakfast (in the Restaurant if it is open; it will be quieter there).

 

Before you leave for the day, you will have to get a new key card. Talk to Guest Services before you head off the ship for the day (or maybe even the day before).  Use the old card to disembark for the day; use the new card to embark later in the day. Beware! The cards look alike. (Put them in different pants pockets  -- left off, right on).

 

 

Thanks, super helpful! It just brings back one of my nitpicky questions: if we have a leisurely breakfast, what happens to his luggage sitting on the dock of Bergen waiting for pickup, if new arriving passengers are already checking in? And if he hasn't used his keycard to tag himself off-ship by 9:30 or whenever they require, will this create any problems? Someone earlier suggested asking for him to have a guest pass for the day.

 

Obviously I'll check with the ship to confirm their view of all these questions, since you never know, but it's always good to know what to expect!

 

Thanks,

-- Ethan

 

[Mich3554]

On 1/5/2024 at 10:25 AM, FoggyEthan said:

What is it like on board when transiting? Are there restrictions on where you're allowed to be? Are all the services shut down, like food and drink, spa, pools?

If you are staying on board when others are getting off, you can pretty much do what you want.  We usually use this time to do laundry, and go to breakfast later than usual to allow those that need to get off the time without us in the muck of things.  We just try to stay out of the way.  After others have departed, we then go out and do.  In Bergen, we went out for a late lunch, to do some shopping and to find an ATM for local cash (most of the cruise was in Norway).  
 

 

[Peregrina651]

3 hours ago, FoggyEthan said:

if we have a leisurely breakfast, what happens to his luggage sitting on the dock of Bergen waiting for pickup,

 

Umm, just how much luggage will DH have that two of you can't wheel it off ship when it is time to disembark???  You aren't vacating the cabin. Put it in the closet until you are ready to disembark (out of the way of your steward as they clean the room).

 

But otherwise, you are right there are just some questions that you will have to ask once you are on board.

[FoggyEthan]

23 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Umm, just how much luggage will DH have that two of you can't wheel it off ship when it is time to disembark???  You aren't vacating the cabin. Put it in the closet until you are ready to disembark (out of the way of your steward as they clean the room).

 

But otherwise, you are right there are just some questions that you will have to ask once you are on board.

You haven't met him. 8-)  But seriously, I'd thought it was discouraged to wheel around luggage, esp on elevators, when people are embarking. If not, though, then of course that's fine. Thanks!

[Peregrina651]

 

 

By the time you two wander off, the rush should have slowed. Demand for down elevators will have slacked, etc.  Especially if you use the elevators that are not by the gangway.