Emptynesters38

We are on the Viking Star this week (January 17, 2016). My wife and I are in our mid 60s. I would say that the average age is older than we are but there are many younger people, including some in their 30s and 40s. Age however is just a number and I agree that people should not stay away as the ship, crew and amenities are superb. The only issue I have is that on the Viking River Cruise we took, they would make up the tour groups based upon your walking ability and I do not see any effort to do that here.

I am only going by the information regarding tours from when I looked into it just prior to the cruise that showed a couple of the included tours were sold out. However, that was within a few weeks of departure. We have friends that decided to join us closer to departure that did not have a problem getting the included tours. Elizabeth is correct in that if there are any issues, the staff at the Explorer's Desk does whatever they can to accommodate you. They are very helpful and the staff is great.

I am in the second day of a week long Mediterranean Getaway Cruise. Based upon the start times and lengths of the available tours, I do not believe anyone could do more than one tour in a day on this cruise. However, I would think each cruise would be different.

I was surprised to see that one or two of the included tours were sold out as I assumed that since there was no additional charge they would always be available. I was wrong.

I have gone into the laundry and never saw all the machines in use. I would think it depends upon the time of day and the length of the cruise.

About a dozen years ago when we were in our early fifties we took a Viking River Cruise. At the time Viking stated that the average age of the passengers was 55 years old. In fact the average age of our fellow travelers was much older. I joked that I wanted to see the 20 new born babies living below decks that would lower the average age to 55. I will be on the Viking Star later this month and will see if I am closer to the average age now that I am in my mid 60s.

My wife and I are on the Viking Star Mediterranean Getaway from January 17 to January 24. I am a long time Patriots season ticket holder and will be missing the NFL Divisional Playoffs on January 16 and 17 and the Conference Championships on January 24. (I checked the calendar when I booked but decided a happy married life was more important than attending a football game).

Does anyone know if I can watch the games on TV onboard the ship?

Also, my return flight leaves Barcelona at 11:45 AM on Sunday. How early do they usually have us disembark from the ship? I understand it is only about a 15 minute ride to the airport and I hope that Viking does not drop us at the airport too many hours in advance (they did that on my prior Viking River cruise).

GO PATS!

I have been to both Pompeii and Naples. I really liked Naples and I tell my wife that my primary goal on the Mediterranean Getaway Cruise I am on in January is to eat pizza again in Naples. It is a vibrant city and I enjoyed visiting the Naples National Archaeological Museum and walking around the City. However, it is not unique and pales in comparison to a visit to Pompeii. Pompeii is a World Wonder and is one of the most interesting places I have ever been to in my life. If I had to choose between the two, Pompeii wins hands down. On the same day of the cruise (if you are on the same itinerary as I am) you have the option of going to Herculaneum instead which is also well worth the trip for someone who has already been to Pompeii (for the same $69.00) but I would chose Pompeii.

We opted for the Enchanting Taormina tour from Messina (it is also $69.00) When I was a bit younger I might have opted to do it on my own but I want to avoid the stress of missing the departure of the ship.

Thank you very much for your post. I also read your blog and it was very detailed. We are on the same ship in January from Rome to Barcelona and your post has increased our anticipation.

Our cruise leaves January 17, 2016 and we received our flight information on October 5, 2015 which was 104 days in advance. The flight we received are on Lufthansa and are fairly close to the flights we would have booked if we made the travel arrangements ourselves. There are no non-stop flights between our home city and the ports at the start and end of the cruise so we have a stop in each direction. Our flights are close to the shortest total duration available on any airline. When we called after receiving our email, Viking even provided us with seat assignments on the “over the ocean” legs of the flights at no additional charge which usually costs $35 a flight on Lufthansa. The person we spoke to was very helpful. Our only concern is that the flight going home leaves at 6:55 AM which means an early wake up but on our previous Viking cruise my main complaint is that they dropped us the airport many hours early so hopefully we will not have that happen this time.