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molymoo

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  • Posts

    755
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About Me

  • Location
    chicago area
  • Interests
    travel, reading, running
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    viking
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    europe

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molymoo's Achievements

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Cool Cruiser (2/15)

  1. A lot depends on the cruise. We have been on 10 VO cruises and three were in PJS's (upgrades courtesy of Viking) and generally use their laundry service for everything except "personal" items. We have often had difficulty getting washers/dryers ... especially on sea days. Generally folks are polite and patient but there are always a few that will "dump" your stuff if you aren't back immediately. On one cruise we witnessed a "gentleman" go on a tirade about how the washers/dryers were to be used. He insisted that if you are using washer #1 then Dryer #1 was "yours" and no one had any business using it. A woman who had washed her load in washer #4 placed her load in dryer #1 which according to him was "his". When his wash was done he opened dryer #1, dumped her wet clothes on the floor and stated that "that should teach her to follow the rules". Takes all kinds!
  2. Although it was a few years ago we were able to get tickets for "Sagrada" and Casa Batillo with "open arrival times". They cost a bit more but we didn't have to plan our time around entry times. Also ... the best churros and chocolate are in Madrid!
  3. Guess I missed an opportunity! Sent 12 tags and even paid for shipping ... just asked her to pay it forward sometime!
  4. We got a lovely duffle on our first cruise with Viking in 2011. It was quite nice but has moved on ... how many bags do you need??? Finally divested ourselves of 12 red luggage tags (someone wanted them!) but still have six more. I also have eight to ten felt zipper bags and an assortment of ipad cases. We just bring our Baggu bags with on trips as they are required for any shoppping in Chicago these days. Actually glad Viking has ceased sending such things.
  5. Interesting ... Have been a 4:00 AM person for more than 45 years. Was my wake up, get up time while working and commuting so it is pretty much in my DNA now. Have done more than 10 VO cruises and never had any issues getting coffee from the WC in the wee hours. Would happily use the in room coffee maker but it's a bit complex for my tastes ... my daughter is in charge of the later cups.
  6. Gratuities are optional ... you are perfectly free to ask that the charge be removed from your bill if you do not wish to participate in the practice. There are just as many complaints from those where gratuities are "included" in the price of the cruise ... you're never going to make everyone happy.
  7. Glad to hear from another proponent of inclusion! I taught children with multiple disabilities for more than 40 years so that’s where I am coming from. Although the US and Canada have come a long way … even we still have a long way to go !
  8. I really wasn’t implying that THIS thread was “shaming” anyone. It is however a frequent topic that appears here in the CC site and some comments are just plain cruel. We have always been sympathetic of those who struggle and have often opted to “hang” back with them. The upshot has been the fact that we have had the opportunity to get to know some absolutely lovely people and enjoyed the excursion on a different level. Sometimes it’s nice to stop, take a breath and really take in the location. You’re not going to “see everything” on a single excursion so why not give yourself the opportunity to enjoy and experience what you can?
  9. I have been watching this thread for awhile and, personal feelings aside (I will admit that I find it disheartening to see those with any sort of mobility so frequently "shamed" here on this forum) I would like to present (perhaps) another side to the "story". To preface, I am a senior citizen who travels with my daughter (not a senior citizen) and although I am not quite as "spry" as I was in my early days, I have no mobility issues and in 20 Viking cruises I don't believe I have ever been one who slowed down the group on any excursion. We recently returned from the Egypt itinerary and it was certainly as challenging as its reputation. We considered this and gave careful thought to what excursions/activities we would complete and which (if any) we might choose to skip. There were 53 on our trip (a little more than half the number originally slated for the trip) and we were split into three groups ... each with 20 or fewer members. Despite the fact that the whole group was pretty much representational of the "typical" Viking demographic we ended up in a group of much younger (20's and 30's) members of families and some hard core "commandos" who were obviously very fit, still working, and regularly worked out and walked "several" miles daily. Great for them but it made it difficult for those of us "more typical" individuals to keep up the pace. A good example was during one excursion the group was spread out a bit and I was "huffing and puffing" to keep up with two of the commandos ahead of me. I could hear but not see our guide. After a few minutes my daughter asked me why I was hurrying and my response was "to keep up with our guide". She laughed and pointed behind me at our guide. She said she didn't know where the others were going but apparently they had their own agenda! It was that way throughout the entire trip and continued into the Jordan extension. If I heard "I can rest when I die" one more time, I might have "lost it"! We did request a group change but it was obvious that that would have been difficult so we "resigned" ourselves to being "those people" who might be slowing down the group (in fairness, there were about 6 of us "normal" people). I'm not sure there were any complaints about us "slow pokes" (they honestly seemed oblivious to the rest of us most of the time). But in all honestly I'm not sure it would be fair to measure our "ability level" against theirs. Just another POV.
  10. molymoo

    Pricing

    We have found that if you find an itinerary that you want to book, do it and don't wait for a better deal and don't look back. Cruise prices, airfares, etc. will inevitably go up (as with EVERYTHING) and special deals will expire. We booked the Grand European in 2022 (after cancelling our 2020 trip) and in the fine print there was an offer for flat rate business class air for $1995.00 if you booked a suite. We booked a veranda suite and enjoyed some lovely air accommodations last summer and considering the state of air travel/prices/conditions, we made out and I'm guessing that Viking might have lost on that one. I have noticed that they are no longer offering that deal!
  11. Not sure it will work but here is a link to the site to which you are referring: https://cy.usembassy.gov/security-alert-u-s-embassy-nicosia-cyprus-october-19-2023/ Note that is the U.S. Embassy in Cyprus issuing the alert so I'm not sure "singled out" applies, but all they are warning about is potential protests and asking that US citizens be aware and avoid large crowds. This is far from the "the sky is falling" scenario that you are painting with your post. There have been large protests in cities all over the world (there was a massive one in Chicago the other day) and to date, they have been relatively peaceful; causing few problems other than obstructing traffic. Protests, and other similar gatherings are common and generally confined to one place and it would be easy to avoid the area which I am sure Viking and tour operators would do. Last Spring there were widespread protests all over France and there was little talk of people cancelling trips there! There were pictures posted on social media sites of tourists sitting in an outdoor cafe while fires burned around them during protests in Bordeaux. Take a breath and decide whether or not you wish to continue on this trip ... expecting Viking to act in accordance with your level of "risk tolerance" and on your timeline is really a bit unreasonable. You can always choose to stay onboard in Cyprus.
  12. They also remind you that any assigned seats after ticketing can change as well!
  13. We generally book PV cabins ... no free laundry but pressing is free. We generally use the laundry rooms for "personal" items and PJ's and anything we don't want to wait for, but do make use of the paid laundry on every trip. They do a wonderful job and we generally feel it is reasonably priced. It can get crowded in the laundry rooms but if you time it right it's a nice little "perk"!
  14. Now this entry made more sense to me! I am not a vegetarian but often prefer not to eat meat and my daughter is "primarily a vegetarian" and she is my travel partner. I have found (on more than 10 VO cruises) that with very few exceptions there is at least one vegetarian option in each of the categories (starters, mains, etc) at every meal ... often more than one! I wouldn't think that special attention from the chef would be necessary unless other food restrictions were in place.
  15. I generally like to assume that those exhibiting "boorish" behaviors are not necessarily doing so intentionally but rather are caught up in the moment and not realizing how what they are doing affects others. That said, if their loud conversation bothered you you were perfectly within your rights to ask them (politely) to keep the volume down. You also would have been within your rights to speak to either the manager or one of your wait staff and ask them to handle it. I wouldn't expect any of the staff to risk upsetting an otherwise nice dinner service unless someone complained.
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