rmalbers

Our TA arranged both, the hotel and transportation where both thru Viking and on our viking invoice (trans isn't listed separately on invoice). To get to the ship Viking used a bus that was, I would guess, 2/3 full. I think Viking must have used more than one, night before, hotel in Milwaukee. I just looked at the invoice, the Westin Milwaukee was $0 and included under the Air Fare as 'Additional Item'. The trans from airport to hotel and hotel to ship are not even listed on the invoice. Our TA has been in the business for a while and really knows what she's doing.

Interesting, we had viking air, pre hotel and transfers and came in a day early and had viking van transfer to the hotel, we were the only ones he had to pick up at that time, he add others later. This was for viking expedition great lakes so maybe that was different. I think how they do it is if you don't have many/any other options, maybe. But these days, you have to fly in at least a day early, really two days early is better, right, so maybe things are changing.

For me it would depend on the itinerary. I would pass if it's a carrib cruise because there is going to be a lot more late night noise/drinking back there, for example. If it's a cooler weather, older crowd type itinerary I might do it.

Pricing has been mentioned a few times that I've seen. I know there is food/fuel/employee inflation but I was on a Viking cruise last month and I can't believe how many times I heard people say they were using FCC (Viking has a different term for it). I think there is still a lot of FCC that has to move thru the system on all cruise lines and then maybe we'll get at least a little better pricing.

Strange, the bars were open in US waters when I did the Mil to Thunder bay three weeks ago.

I think it's because most people have cruised to the places they've wanted to go. I did a Viking Expedition ship in the US Great Lakes for something new and different (and have another Viking cruise booked).

Ya, teachers say all the time that the kids will learn more on a trip than they will in school for that same period of time.

My wife got two birthday cakes, not sure how that happened. One at the specialty restaurant two days before her birthday and another one in our cabin on her birthday, with a bottle of bubbly.

Shorts and tee shirts weather to gale force winds with everything I brought on. Just take a lot of layers and you'll be fine. There were only a couple of us out on the deck after a while at the southern tip of SA.

We did a Christmas/NY cruise around south america. There were a lot of people and kids from Spain, I wasn't expecting it. They were all great kids and had a really good time from what I could tell. That was really a great cruise.

For all you sushi fans, I was on Viking's Octantis last week and their sushi bar is included and has it's own separate area by the buffet area. I'm not into it but it was very impressive looking.

Ok, I've always thought that there would be no way I would sail X in a cabin with a infinite veranda but after sailing in a cabin with one in the Great Lakes last week on a Viking Expedition ship I'm changing my mind. I really liked it for the weather conditions we had that time of the year. It was also nice standing right in front of it without the wind (and rain, sometimes). Not saying I would do it in the carib (I'm not in Jan 2023) but for some locations I think it works perfect. I'm converted.

You still need verifly if your cruise hits canada.

But they will continue to eat, they don't get much time to screw around. (source: last week) They do have meet and greets that makes it easy to ask questions.

A Celebrity captain said once his favorite button on the ship was the horn!

I just wanted to comment on the Posts about new routes. I was on Celebrity and the captain was talking about all the planning time that goes into new and even altered routes. It takes years of planning to 'create' a new route for a cruise ship, from start to sailing. So there probably are new routes being 'planned', it's just a matter of time before you see them.