Pyroforyou

I will try that one. Thank you.

Can someone on a Viking river ruise copy thier recipe when the chief makes the vanilla crescent cookies with the guests. It was so easy but I cant find where I put my copy. Thank you. Wish we were going again to the markets this year. 

Bermuda does not have big busses except for public transit. Visitors cannot drive cars as well. The mini vans are the best way to get around except if you are adventurous and rent a scooter. Sometimes at the airport you can tell who the adventurous people were and not so good at riding the scooter. 

Maps.me is the app I use when traveling. You can save points of interest with different colors and it is good to use offline as well. If you really want a printed map to have as a backup then maybe buy older guide books, the sights won't change, well after covid who knows what will still be open.

We were on a tour that includes Eze, with many steps up and down. A fellow Viking tourist fell and hurt her ankle and could not walk. The Viking guides (there were two Viking tours at Eze at the time) helped her to a chair and called the ship which sent a taxi for her. Our groups stayed with her till the taxi arrived and no one complained that we had to wait around. Later on the ship we saw the lady again and she said she had broken her ankle and the ships doctor set it for her. Later in the cruise, in Rome on a tour, Viking provided a wheel chair and staff to push her around so she could still enjoy her cruise. There are pictures online of the medical area on Viking ships.

Also on that cruise a person passed away at night (in the cabin down the hall) and the medical team was very quick to respond and try to help but it was too late. 

Just one last note on Viking mecical, on our Rhine river cruise a lady became unresponsive during dinner, Viking staff immediately started cpr as needed and within about 5 mins the ship had pulled to the river bank to a waiting ambulance. The lady was fine the next day, she happened to be a Dr herself, and returned to the ship.

Even when eating alone, sometimes people at the next table talk with you about your days adventure after they hear you talking about what you did during your daily tour.

If anyone feels the gratuity policy is wrong don't follow it. I don't agree with it so I personally go to the service desk and have my own gratuities removed from being changed to me while leaving it in my wifes charges. We then use my gratuity amount to hand out to the workers that helped us enjoy our Viking cruise the most. Just small conversations with Viking cruise staff shows they seem happy and not just fishing for tips. The staff enjoy talking about their home counties and family and how they are new places and meet nice people on viking. On one of my Viking river cruises, the staff made some special dish from their country after some guests said their food sounded so good during a conversation. The guests didn't complain about Viking food, since someone might comment negatively, they just were being friendly. 

Have fun on a cruise don't start off by complaining of looking for complaints. Be glad we can travel again once this China pandemic is gone.

So Viking gave you some extra time to pay for your trip. Did you cancel your booking yet? Most people on this forum that start out complaining about Viking will find something else to complain about so it's best to go to another cruise line that fits you better so the rest of us can enjoy our cruise. 

A little off topic but I didn't notice any changes in the Viking river boats that are used for Chinese groups. I would think that info might only be on Viking for China.

Since you added Easter, I will post Valentines Day. Roses for the ladies at dinner and a special dessert for each couple.

There are a few taxies that are near the bus stop off spot in florence. Very hard to use a walker or cane in the cobblestones. There is an eco tour you can search for that uses golf cars and are very good if you have 2 couples. I arranged this for my parents last time we went there. Lucca was great and so pretty. If you really want to enjoy Florence then why not stay over night. No question you need advanced tickets to Uffizi or Plazzo Vecchio secret tour

I did this trip twice and almost every included tour you can show up early and get a seat. We had a group of six but did not all attend each tour by choice. We all had DV cabins but didn't have any problem getting tours we wanted even right before the booking window closed. If you want to eat at a special restaurant, you can do this right after you board the boat. You need each person's room number to make the reservation and tell them it's for something special (anniversary). This trip has been done for years and they know it for the most part. I found the onboard tour people useless. I was with my parents who cannot walk well and I had to figure out several easier ways to get around. I would suspect that you had difficulty because you were trying to book tours for four people that were on different reservations. Have fun  and enjoy the beautiful cities. 

Where do I find the ignore button so I can ignore Captain Morgan and his negative comments?

I have done this itinerary twice and by walking around on your own you will miss out on what a tour guide would have told/showed you about the beautiful city. There are many reviews on this itinerary on here, so lots of good reading and ideas. Viking offers tours to get you to Florence then take you back, this is much easier then trying to do on your own if it's your first time. A little research will show that taking the right tour will not cost much more or give you much more time thers while taking the stress out of your day. 

So after all the complaining what actually happened? 

Just search helly hansen viking online and their Viking store comes up with Viking logo items that might be the same for sale on the ship since items change. On the ship most people use their on-board credit near the end of the cruise so go early and also very importantly watch the closing hours of the onboard store since it will not be open in port, which might be your last day or last two days. 

You didnt mention which cruise you were looking but look at that cruise reviews most will take about port times especially if they were short. 

No one mentioned that you can order room service. On my last VO cruise we ordered a sandwich before we went to bed (to eat while we had to wait in the airport for our late flight home) and had our breakfast delivered in room so we did not have to deal with the last day crowds at the world cafe. On our first 5am departure, we only had croissants and bagels at the bar in the atrium while we waited for our departure group. 

I have done Christmas market tours and find that you have ample time to see the markets during an included tours. You can always leave the included tour early as long as you tell the guide. The market in Vienna (best food choices) and Salzburg (best overall selection) are the nicest. This year going to Munich and Nuremburg markets since we love this time of year in Germany. Since it gets dark early you will love the markets with the lights and decorations.

The steak that was on the menu every day was very good as an alternative in the MDR. No one brought up breakfast. Lol. The world cafe had nice crossants with chocolate that I had almost every day.

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Whats wrong with most tours being slow walker tours? Nothing. If thats what the passengers want then it should be offered. Since slow walker tours are only on Viking river cruises right now, planning is very important for people who cannot ambulate well. While on the Star this Feb the Explorer desk staff had no idea of how most tours were conducted. Being on the same cruise 2 times in a year led me to see too many variations in how the tour guides conduct their tours. There will always be variations due to local conditions but not major differences for no reason. The forum on CC for disabilities is helpful.

No they seem to make the descriptions brief so people dont complain something was left out or the tour was altered. It would be very helpful if they gave more info especially if you cant walk well or for a long time. Even on the ship the Explorers desk staff did not seem helpful with my questions as they gave all the wrong answers. There is no reason to not give a good overview of the tours since they should be very similar each time (which they are not). I personally took the same Barcelona included tour and both were very different, if I had not taken the first one we would have missed important sights (I think the guide was lazy and gave an hour free time instead of being a good guide). Also when I asked about the included tour of St Tropez the Explorer staff said it would be easy to walk around on the tour and the bus was right there, well the busses were at the end of a walking tour and glad my mom did not listen to me and stayed on the boat that day. The Viking staff on the phone are no better, when I asked where you were dropped off and picked up in Florence they didnt know, well we were dropped off and picked up at the same location as last time which is the same as marked on their map. It makes planning easier if you get the right info. There is no reason for wrong answers for tour questions that they do every other week for the past 2 months (plus last year). We should accept tour changes and variations based on current conditions.

We were on the Star last month with 15ft waves out of Barcelona. The captain warned the passengers about the waves and the crew gave out meds by the explorer desk. The wind was bad outside and the boat moved enough but during the night it seemed worse. Some people the next day said they loved it and the motion rocked them to bed. When I asked various crew about the waves and they said that was nothing and they had been thru much worse. Since it got rough after dinner, most people seemed to be back in their rooms.

Last summer some of the offers in the brochures would not be combined with Explorer discounts because the prices were cheaper they said. Listing a lower price would appeal to customers and with so many repeat customers maybe Viking does not feel they need/should offer discounts.

With the removal of discounts that Viking allows TA to offer, the minimal on board credit may not make it worth using a TA. We have used a TA for each of our past 4 cruises and after reading on here how Viking offers upgrades without asking and not having to go thru your TA to make changes, make using Viking directly more appealing to me for our next cruise. The only benefit I can see would be a person to assist if there was a problem but my various TA were never helpful and I have researched what I want before making a reservation and know more of Viking cruises then they do. Also it was brought up about the discount for paying with echeck, well paying with most credit cards you get a percentage back as well as having another source of assistance if things go wrong. We each have our own preferences.