Berlin Bear

13 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

What country are you in? The website redirects based on ip address. You cannot make online bookings if you are on the European continent. This has to do with contract law of different countries as well as exchange rate of currency. The only places you can book online are US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand(?). All other locations require you to call Viking or book through a travel agent.

Many thanks for your quick and helpful response. Very much appreciated!

I‘ve moaned about this before on these boards, but it’s such a pity that Viking cruises are not marketed or sold in mainland Europe, despite the owner being Norwegian. The two cruises we’ve done up to now have been booked in the UK by telephone.

Oh well, it was worth a try 🙄.

I would love to know where to find this price and build tab that you all talk about!

Whenever I try to type in Viking.com or vikingcruises.co.uk, I am always redirected to vikingcruises.com and there doesn’t seem to be a price and build function there.

any advice?

We’ve done around 25 cruises with TUI Cruises. They use to have a loyalty program but it was suspended in spring 2020. Since then, there have been a number of messages from the company that a new loyalty program would emerge at some point, but this has never materialised 🤷‍♂️. 
By the way, the eighth ship will have a capacity of around 4000 passengers.

9 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

the inter-city and the high speed trains have sockets and outlets at the seat

And WiFi

11 minutes ago, Mich3554 said:

We were told that the dock was under construction.  There were 3 cruise ships in town, Viking Neptune, Venus and AIDA Luna.  Where we were tendered dropped us off in the middle of Kirkwall.  No shuttle needed.

Ah OK, thanks for this clarification. We were there in June last year and I don’t remember any construction work going on.

Now carry on enjoying your cruise!

13 hours ago, Moonlion said:

Day 10 (May 18th, Kirkwall/Orkney Islands):

Woke up early and went to the World Cafe for coffee and cereal. Lo and behold, the Viking Venus was anchored across from us on our starboard side. This must be the Venus BIE cruise that departed on May 13th from Bergen to London. Hello Venus!

 

We joined our new friends we had “e-met” on the CC roll call for a private excursion of the Orkneys (we also did the Beatles tour with them in Liverpool). This port was odd - Viking only offered an included excursion but no optionals for some reason.  The 2-hour Viking included excursion did not include some of the top Neolithic sites such as Skara Brae which we really wanted to see. Therefore, Michelle arranged with Craigie’s taxi a 4-hour tour (£200 total/£50 pp) that included Ring of Brodgar, Stones of Stenness, Skara Brae (amazing site, not to be missed!), Skaill House, the Brough of Birsay, the Earl’s Palace at Birsay, and the Cliffs of Yesneby (breathtakingly beautiful!). Our driver, Collin, is not an “official” tour guide but he was very knowledgeable about the Orkney Islands and the sites we visited. Orkney is another port that can be cancelled because of bad weather. Craigie’s doesn’t require advance payment; you pay with cash or card after you complete the tour with them. We saw so much in our 4-hour tour! Collin dropped us off in town after tour. We visited the beautiful St. Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall before walking back to the tender boats (a 5-minute walk). 

Kirkwall is a tender port but we had no problem getting a tender boat to shore and back for our independent excursion. 

We had dinner again tonight at the Chef’s Table. Tonight’s menu was Erling’s Scandinavian Bistro. It’s an “adventurous” menu (some unique Norway dishes). but we really enjoyed it! Some great wine pairings too. 
 

Another delightful day!

 

As a Brit/Liverpudlian, I’m really enjoying your daily reports.

Just a comment on Kirkwall - we’ve visited this port on three separate occasions with two different cruise lines and have never tendered. Always docked and then taken the shuttle bus into town.

7 hours ago, SJD117 said:

TUI Cruises acquired and renamed the Celebrity Mercury in 2010.

Which went on to be Mein Schiff 2 and then Mein Schiff Herz and has now moved to Marella and will reappear as Marelle Voyager

53 minutes ago, Hockeyump said:

I think one of the reasons Viking haven't expanded in to mainland Europe is that they are very much an English language company. Customer serving staff are all able to converse in English, to a greater or lesser extent and to introduce a multitude of other languages would have a comsiderable impact.

While they can fill the cabins I can't see them changing their business model.

 

 

Yes, their business model seems to tend towards streamlining or simplification - identical ships filled with English-speaking passengers. Very cost efficient. I’m not saying this is bad, we enjoy the Viking experience.

However, other comparable English-speaking cruise lines (e.g. Oceania, Regent, Seabourn) are marketed in Europe and can be booked either directly or via travel agencies. Even P&O sell their cruises over here 😅. It is quite odd, given the emphasis on everything Norwegian, that Viking neglects to cater for the European continent. Yes, business model…

I don’t mind having to book directly with Viking, so I guess I will have to set up two strands of communication with the US and UK offices so that I can compare prices and conditions.

The lack of response from other Europeans who are interested in sailing with Viking sort of confirms my feeling that we are a tiny minority!

Thanks for all your responses. 
Unfortunately there are no European travel agents, apart from in the UK, that deal with Viking Ocean cruises. Since Brexit, it has become more difficult for us to book in the UK, although it is still possible if we can provide a UK address (I have willing relatives 😁).

I have no experience of booking travel in the US - neither via a travel agent nor directly. The terms and conditions seem to differ from the EU/UK ones.

I was hoping to hear something from other European (non-UK) Viking customers who have the same „dilemma“ and are willing to share their booking experiences here.

Thanks in advance!

We have so far done two Viking Ocean cruises - loved them, even though the second was blighted by Covid. There is unfortunately no possibility of booking a Viking cruise on mainland Europe, so both of these cruises were booked directly with Viking UK, which worked out really well, although we had to book them with flights and then travel via London. Since Brexit however, I no longer have access to the Viking UK website and will need to provide a UK address to book a further cruise there. This is not a problem as I have family there. The UK terms and conditions are similar to the German ones and the cruise prices generally include flights and gratuities.

So, now we would like to book a cruise for December this year and I’m unsure whether to book in the UK or the US!?

I would be really grateful if any fellow Viking cruisers from mainland Europe could let me know where and how they have managed their bookings. Any insights or advice would be very much appreciated!

Nyhavn, where the canal boat tours start, is also on Kongens Nytorv.

28 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

At Spring tides, the River Mersey has a tidal range of up to 33 ft.

When we were kids we loved running up and down the „tunnels“ to the floating landing stages at the Pier Head when we were taking the ferry across the Mersey. I know, it sounds corny, but I’m old enough to have lived through a time before everything became touristified.

Have a wonderful cruise everyone!

Well this is what I just found „The tides today are 8.3 m, 2.2 m, 8.0 m and 2.6 m. The maximum high tide recorded is 10.3 m.“

If you visit beaches close to Liverpool, the sea may be so far out that you don’t actually see it.

Which reminds me - there is a very interesting, atmospheric sculpture on Crosby beach, just north of Liverpool, called Another Place https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Place_(sculpture). 100 cast iron figures looking out to sea. Depending on the tide, you may be able to see the complete figures or just their heads.

41 minutes ago, PRH said:

The ship docks right near the old city—adjacent to the Engineers & Titanic memorial.  The yellow “tunnel” cover is where you go up to the port—taken from our cabin.

Perfect picture to illustrate why I suggested in my message (#119) above that a good meeting place would be the Museum of Liverpool - it’s that modern white/dark glass building that you can see almost in the middle of the picture. Just a hop, skip and a jump from the ship.
Following the waterfront you can see some red brick buildings. That’s the Albert Dock where there are a number of car parking possibilities.

By the way, the walkway (yellow tunnel) can get incredibly steep at low tide. When we were there last summer there was transport provided for passengers who didn’t fancy the walk.

A good meeting place would be in front of the Museum of Liverpool about five minutes walk from where the ship docks. You can’t miss it - it’s a large white modern building right on the waterfront between the ship and the Albert Dock. No big roads to cross. There are a number of car parks around the Albert Dock area: https://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/carpark/albert_dock_c/l3/liverpool/?arriving=202304241700&leaving=202304241900

Re Liverpool - my hometown - I’d like to mention that art lovers shouldn’t miss the Tate Liverpool (Albert Dock area) and the Walker Art Gallery (opposite St George’s Hall).

In fact, I would suggest that when docking in Liverpool, it’s really worth spending the day there and not rushing off to Wales or elsewhere, even if you’re not a Beatles fan. There is so much to see.

For example, a walk along Hope Street https://theguideliverpool.com/can-we-talk-about-hope-street/ from the Catholic cathedral to the Anglican cathedral is really interesting. Beautiful Georgian architecture, a pub (the Philharmonic Dining Halls) with a renowned men’s bathroom, the Philharmonic Hall itself and you even pass my old school, Blackburne House, which I attended in the 1960s! There’s also a great view from the bell tower of the Anglican Cathedral. And good restaurants for lunch.

The Maritime Museum (also Albert Dock) is also definitely worth a visit and is home to the International Slavery Museum. Don’t forget, Liverpool was once the main slave trading port of Britain and many of its grand buildings stem from this period.

Just some suggestions…

 

Munich airport is quite a long way from the city centre. The train takes about 40 minutes. Perhaps you are referring to the frequency: apparently trains run every 10 minutes.

And at least you won’t have to worry about your luggage making the connecting flight 😉

10 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

Depending on where you are coming from, if this is the first Schengen country you are landing in then you will have passport control as well.  Not security, but definitely passport control.  The non-Schengen travellers are one by one with a live agent, when the Euro passport holders are automated.

 

It is our experience in both Munich and Frankfurt that 50 minutes is not enough.  That is also assuming that you are not delayed in your departure and late in your arrival - how far back you are in the aircraft, etc.

 

If you are arriving at a busy time, you could have a 20 minute wait or more at passport control.

 

We don't book any connection in Europe now without at least 2 hours as we have been the one running a number of times with the threat of the airbridge door closing.

 

WE would go for the four hour connection every time.  Would rather spend 4 hours in the airport than miss a connection and perhaps not get where we want to be the same day.

I agree with this. Munich has the reputation of being the most pleasant airport in Germany, so rather a longer wait than a stressful connection.

Really like both lines, although I’m judging Celebrity on their Aqua class. We have mainly sailed with the German line TUI Cruises which is a very similar experience to sailing Celebrity - except for the casino.

But, in my opinion, you can’t beat Viking for the smaller ship, calmer, laid-back experience which, as oldies, we now prefer 😉.

On the Jupiter for 3 weeks in March/April 2022. I’m pretty sure that we could hear the announcements via the appropriate channel on the TV. We were in quarantine for ten days and couldn’t (didn’t) just run out into the corridor to hear what was going on. It was very frustrating to hear about things happening on board and not be able to take part 😅.

We we’re also quite impressed by the crew that we encountered. Their reactions to a couple just suddenly appearing from nowhere in the middle of the Atlantic were quite amusing. Most were slightly embarrassed that they’d „forgotten“ our cabin number and names.

Not to mention the excellent and friendly treatment we were given during quarantine.

12 hours ago, fairydustca said:

milling 73, This cruise is on the new promo... code WMD23, but no free air (haha...the code made me think of Weapons of Mass Destruction!)

Thanks for this information. We’re also looking at this itinerary. Could you please give some details regarding this promotion code?

I have never received post, emails, messages of any sort from Viking, despite having done a few cruises and having specifically requested that they send me „unsolicited“ information 😅.

But I’m not writing this to complain, as I think this thread is really good, so I probably don’t need Viking to keep me informed personally. However, I’d be more than happy if some UK based cruisers could also share their promotional material. US promotions often include air fare - not much use to us 😉.

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Most of the other cruise lines have North American based purchasing, whereas Viking purchasing is based in Europe, specifically Germany. Could be a reason why they are weaker of some selections.

 

Growing up in UK, I had never heard of Canadian Whisky and thought "Bourbon" was a biscuit, not a drink.

 

Viking is very much a European cruise line and as such, personally I enjoy the differences, which includes the drinks, from the US based shipping lines.

Off topic - interesting to hear that Viking is „very much a European cruise line“ and purchases certain (many?) articles in Germany. I just wish they would also make it easier for EU-based customers to purchase their cruises! We live in Berlin and have done two Viking ocean cruises, both booked in the UK - I also grew up there. Thanks to Brexit, that’s no longer possible. So for us, it certainly doesn’t feel very European😉

I like firm pillows too and on our Viking Jupiter cruise in March I asked for a neck pillow which looks just like the Tempur neck pillows. I even took it with me to my quarantine cabin 😅.