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MSEm

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Everything posted by MSEm

  1. Thank you. I have looked on Oceania website. I cannot find any information on what is stocked in the mini-frig. Is it stocked with soft drinks, mini-bottles for gin, rum, beer or wine etc?
  2. We are booked in a Penthouse suite on Riveria for March 2024. What items are stocked in the mini-frig? How often is it replenished? Any other things to know about the Riveria Penthouse Suites? Thank you.
  3. We lived in the Athens suburbs in 1975-1976. Our first check on a tarverna was "Is there at least 1 cat". We quickly learned if the cats will not eat the, neither should we. Also when living in Germany, the Germans had their well behaved dogs at their feet in the Gasthauses. They never brought the kids with them.
  4. What are the show times in the evening on the American Empress? Are there 2 shows each evening or is it just 1 show times/ What is the best time for dining if you want to see the entertainment in the evening? Thank for any info an traveling from Portland to Spokane.
  5. What time is Dinner on the American Empress for the Portland to Spokane cruises?
  6. What deck is the self serve laundry located? What area of the deck? Thanks
  7. Flights go on sale about 11 months from the date of the flight. I booked our March 2024 flights 10 months before the dates. For an 8 hour or longer flight we choose first or business class. I was surprised the look at the seat map. On the return flight we could NOT get 2 first class seats together. We have seats on different row but close. We prefer non-stop or limited changes. We also look at the departure times. We do not want to leave our cabin at 2 AM for a 6 AM flight.
  8. We had the SSB package on our Sept 2023 Viking Polaris cruise. WE dod not drick mixed drinks and or only drinking 1 or 2 glasses of wine a day. I would not purchase the SSB on future cruises. If I want a glass of wine from the menu, I will just order at the bar before diner to take to the dining room. Most of the wines by the glass on the menu were $8. I cannot purchase a glass of good wine in local restaurants for $8 per glass. It is also very nice to bu a bottle of wine when cruising and to be able to take the wine to the dining room without a corkage fee of $25 or more.
  9. On our Viking Polaris Cruise in September 2023 we had the SSB plan. I was surprised that a gratuity was not added. Many cruise line charge you for every glass of wine or each drink and then add 18-20% to the total cost for a gratuity. On Viking they also kept my wine glass filled. I had to watch and signal "No more pour for me". Again I would not purchase the SSB plan, but stop by the bar on the way to dinner or lunch to order a special wine or beer. It is great having room service with NO CHARGE.
  10. We had the Silver Spirits Package on our last cruise (Sept 2023 Duluth, MN to Toronto 15 day) on the Viking Polaris. The beverage package was a booking bonus for early booking. We used the package for wines at Lunch and Dinner.We did find some wines on the menu we liked. In the future we will just order a menu wine at dinner. We did not get mixed drinks. It was a long delay to get the wine. Someone would go get the wine menu usually taking about 15 minutes.. After 15 - 20 minutes someone would return to take our order. After another 10 minutes we would finally receive our glasses of wine. It usually took about 45 minutes for us to get the menu wine Because of the time delay in getting our ordered wine, we will not purchase the package on other Viking Cruises.
  11. Thank for the post. Interesting to read there will be more Viking Ocean Ships.
  12. I booked our flights for June 2024. We are booked on Delta from Atlanta to JFK. We have about 3 1/2 hr layover and then fly directly from JFK to Stockholm. This flight may be code share with KLM.
  13. We always book our air flights directly. Most flights go on sale 11 or 10 months before the actual date for the flight. I booked our flights for Japan R/T Atlanta to/from Tokyo 9 1/2 months before our trip. At that time there were only 4 first class seats remaining on the flight.
  14. When we were doing our China River Cruise with a pre-stay in Hong Kong, we were booked on a "direct" flight from Atlanta to Hong Kong. There was a stop in Chicago with a plane change. There was only 35 minutes between the flight from Atlanta landing and the flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. I found a connecting flight from Atlanta to LAX with a connecting flight to Hong Kong. The flight connecting in LAS was $400 per person cheaper.
  15. Boarded Viking Polaris on Sept 12, 2023 in Duluth, MS. Arrived on Monday, Sept 1, 2023. Was surprised to be greeted by Viking Local Reps. They were meeting people who booked air with Viking. The Reps gave us water and called a taxi for us. Our Taxi cost was cheaper that the Viking Shuttle. $15 or 2 people and all luggage. CASH ONLY. We stayed at the Hampton Inn, Mall (locals identity it as Hampton by Texas Roadhouse). Called taxi on Tuesday morning to take us to ship. Over night Duluth received over 4 inches of rain. Taxi had to make some detours because of damage to the roads. Arrived at the post about 10:20 am. Viking was just getting set up. I think they had been delayed by the bad weather.There was heavy rain. Early morning there were also heavy seas.because Duluth is a tendering port, all passengers and luggage had to be transferred from the ship to the port. The heavy seas delay the unloading process. We were processed in about 11:10am and were on board by 11:30 am. World Cafe and The Grill were open for lunch. People taking a pre-tour or who arrived on Monday with Viking air did not arrive at the port until noon by tour bus. Thunder Bay today. Had our Sub briefing at 9 AM. We are portside. Viking has a shuttle to the town. Will visit this afternoon.
  16. If we are NOT sailing with Viking, we remove the Viking Tags. Porters tend to gather up all the Viking Tagged luggage they see to move to a transfer bus. WE had to stop a porter from putting our luggage on this cart with other Viking tagged luggage. The porters replied "Not Viking, so sorry;. you will be back"
  17. You can book a transfer on the arrival or departure dates. You must complete the "Transfer Request". to find the form: Go to MVJ AIR. The form download is in the intro information on the page. If you have booked the Viking Pre or Post cruise extension the transfer cost is included. If you booked your own pre or post cruise stay you will need to book your independent transfers. You will pay for the transfer, but Viking pricing is reasonable.
  18. We put on the Viking stickers for transfers when arriving. On 1 river cruise we did not see a Viking Rep when we arrived. As we were walking to find Ground Transportation, a Viking Rep ran up to us asking if we were looking for our Viking transfer.We had booked our own flights and arrived later than the Viking booked air guest. Because the transfer bus had gone to the hotel, the Viking Rep secured a private transfer and Viking paid for our transfer from the airport to hotel. We had completed the "Transfer Request" but our name was not on his list. I showed him our invoice showing the paid for transfer. I also put the Red Viking tags on our carry-on and my purse when arriving. I agree, I would prefer to receive the brown travel package and not another red luggage tag.. We have completed 5 river and 6 ocean cruises. All materials are sent to your TA unless the TA request items to be mailed directly to the cruiser.
  19. Does Viking have lecturers on the Great Lakes cruises? I have read some from Great Lakes cruises but do not remember any mention of lectures on the cruises.
  20. I have read a posting on people being contacted to change to another cruise because of over booking on a sailing.
  21. I receive 2 monthly magazines that advertise "Group" cruises on various lines including Viking. Crossing cruises are often on the ACBL bridge cruises where the games can be held on the sea days.A quick look through the ACBL Bridge magazine shows 25 ads for 2024 cruises.
  22. Definitely try for the GTY now. This is not a guarantee that you will get a cabin but will probably improve your chances. I would expect some cabins to open up. Travel Agencies will often block X number of cabins ( minimum of 8) for a group. Also organization will block a large number of cabins for a group cruise. If all of the blocked cabins are not booked with deposits, the cabins will appear for sale after the deposits on all blocked cabins must be made. Agents will release cabins without deposits or pay the deposit "out of Pocket" for the agency.
  23. I agree that completing the on Board survey is a very good way to praise excellent service. At least 2 times I have been contacted by on board personnel about an items on the survey I completed on board.
  24. send praise & problems to tellus@vikingcruises.com. the chat bot is just that A Bot, not a real person.
  25. No corkage fee on Viking. You can bring your wine on board Viking. If needed, they will put the bottle on ice during you dinner. It's fun to find a great bottle or bottles of wine we purchase before boarding and then enjoy with a meal or on our balcony.
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