hurwitz5

We will be sailing on the Viking Saturn on December 6. Our 3 days in Israel have been changed to 2 days in Malta and 2 days in Cyprus (instead of 1). Cyprus is close to Israel and Lebanon. If anyone has been in Cyprus recently, what is the situation like there?

I sailed on the Queen Mary 2 pre Covid and I recall a book club on 2 sailings. The book was listed on the Cunard website prior to the cruise, so that one can read the book ahead of time. The book store - deck 8 - also carried the book. Is there a book club selection for the November 26 cruise? Title and author? Thank you.

If we want to escape the winter weather in the northeast, we enjoy Celebrity Caribbean cruises. We are there to enjoy the ship - the new ships are 5 star resorts. We have been to the ports many times, so we stay on the ship for the most part. The new ships are beautiful with innovative design and many dining choices. There aren’t many children on the longer Caribbean cruises, and we don’t sail during school holidays. We sail on Viking when we are interested in excursions - an included excursion in each port is a plus. We will be on Viking Saturn in December 2023.

We are still on the Viking Saturn December 6 sailing - Rome to Athens - 14 nights. Three days in Israel is being replaced by 2 days in Malta and an extra day in Cyprus. Wonder how full the ship is going to be. Does Viking give out that information?

I know that a land tour of Israel is preferable, but we were happy to see as much as we could during 3 days there. We enjoy cruising and seeing snippets of various places. We enjoy the comfort, food and security of cruising. We know that we will be well taken care of in a clean environment.

We bring along antibiotics and Paxlovid just in case. Years ago I got the flu on board a Celebrity ship and the doctor gave me Tamiflu. My ship insurance covered the cost; had to file for reimbursement after we got home. Does anyone know if Viking Ocean ships carry Tamiflu. My husband and I get a flu shot every year, but I got the flu anyway.

Pre-Covid we would cruise on Celebrity 2 - 4 times per year. We did our first post-Covid cruise in May 2023. Have one cruise booked on another line in December 2023. Back on Celebrity in January 2024. We’ll see how it goes. Have seen some negative food reviews due to menu changes.

We are sailing on a Viking Saturn ocean cruise; boarding in Rome on December 6. We were supposed to dock in Israel for 3 days mid-December. The ports have been taken off our itinerary. Viking has substituted 2 days in Malta and added an extra day in Cyprus (now 2 days there). Not sure why Viking would increase time in Cyprus since it’s very close to Israel and Lebanon, plus many war ships will be in the area. Hope they consider canceling Cyprus altogether and add time in Sicily. Perhaps they are waiting for the situation to cool down, but it takes time to book a port docking and arrange shore excursions.

We had late dining, so the elite cocktail hour worked for us. We had wine, beer, gin and tonic, and other included drinks - usually one or two alcoholic beverages each for my husband and I. We also made sure to get cans of soda and water (unopened) to take back to our cabin. We did not have the drink package.

We are on the December 6 cruise. I agree about Sicily and I like Malta. I am concerned about Cyprus. There aren’t that many cruise ships sailing in the Mediterranean in December so I would think that Viking has quite a few options for changing ports.

We are on the December 6 cruise. Malta is an interesting port. Not sure how I feel about Cyprus because it is close to Israel and Lebanon. Also, is there much to see for 2 days in Cyprus. I would appreciate comments and/or recommendations re: Cyprus.

I am also a Mah Jong player and have played on many cruise ships (not Viking). I always bring my card, just in case. I have a set, but it’s too heavy to carry in my luggage. We have 3 sea days on our upcoming Viking Saturn cruise in December. It would be fun to play.

We will also be sailing on the Beyond in January. On embarkation day, are there other places to eat for lunch - other than the buffet?

We have sailed on over 30 Celebrity cruises. Pre-Covid the ships had a number of Mah Jong sets that you could borrow at Guest Relations. We will be cruising on the Summit from May 15 through May 25. Does anyone know if the Summit or any other Celebrity ships have Mah Jong sets? Thanks.