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Toohip4u,

This thread is within "Viking Ocean", so my post was referring to Ocean cruises.

Enjoy your cruise.

Thank you ALL for the help! Yes, I’ll try the Austin to Copenhagen one way on Flight Ease ( it’s not available yet) and do my other flights on our own (no time for train)...I think that should work! Appreciate the experiences!

Hi Jan,

If fly to CPH on a HAL ticket and connect to a CPH to ZRH flight purchased on your own in a separate ticket, make sure you have padded enough time in CPH to allow for any delay of the first flight. Since they are on separate ticket (different reservation number) you are not protected on your second flight if the first flight is late coming in.

The ship's customers service desk does exchange foreign currencies for guests. The exchange rate is based on Bank of America's exchange rate on that day. Not a good rate, but if you only need a small amount of foreign currency, might as well exchange your USD to foreign currency at the ship's desk for the convenience.

At the end of the cruise, you may also change your foreign currency back into USD at the ship's desk, at a rate that you will lose a little bit (because there is a gap between the buying and selling rates). Also, the ship's desk only takes back foreign currencies in notes, no coins, so spend your coins elsewhere.

I use ATM for Euro because we travel to Europe often and can always use the left-over Euro for future trip. But for countries where I am unlikely to return, I try to change left-over currency back into USD or Euro before I left that country.

Post #8 and Post #10 are all good comments/suggestions. We also got hit with a large bill from AT&T, so please allow me to summarize:

1) Your $10/day International Plan only covers land-based cellular network, it does not cover maritime network.

2) Even though Viking provides free WIFI 24/7, over the course of a cruise there were times when WIFI was momentarily down. If you happened to be in the middle of using WIFI to send out pictures, and if you forgot to turn your smartphone's 3rd party roaming off, then unbeknownst to you, the ship's maritime cellular network automatically kicked in, racking up a large bill for you.

3) To prevent aforementioned (2) from happening, it is prudent to leave your smart phone at Airplane Mode all the time while on the ship. Then turn WI-FI on to connect to the ship's WIFI network. This way you won't use anything if the ship's WIFI network were temporary unavailable.

4) To make phone calls while on the ship, install one of the internet free-call APPs. I use SKYPE which is not free but at a few cents per minute I stick with it.

We sailed on this part of the world in 2015 with Insignia as segments of the world cruise. I agree with you that there was not much to see in Fujarrah. I thought our time could be better used to spend that day in Dubai instead (we only had one day in Dubai). However, on the Oceania's survey form I do not recall they ever asked if any port was a worthwhile stop. Thus there was no way to reflect that sentiment up to the management.

You may cancel your booked included excursion online, prior to boarding the ship so that the spaces can be made available to others.

Just click on a series of links to bring up this particular booked excursion, then click on the "LEARN MORE" button. A small window will pop up to show each of your names and the time slot you have booked. To the right of each of your names there is a "CANCEL RESERVATION" button. Click on that to cancel your reserved included excursion.

Actually it's not "up to $300 per person", it depends on the length of the cruise. The OBC is $150 to $500 pp:

 

For one (1) to seven (7) nights on Viking vessel, $150 per guest; for eight (8) to fourteen (14) nights on a Viking vessel, $300 per guest and for fifteen plus (15+) nights on a Viking vessel, $500 per guest.

However, the cost of a cruise fare varies depending on the type of stateroom one booked. Are you saying it does not matter whether one booked a Veranda or a Penthouse Suite the OBC will be the same for the same length of cruise?

I would not do two separate tickets. The flights need to be on one ticket so that if the first flight were delayed you are protected for your 2nd flight.

Just the stress and worrying alone make 2 separate tickets a bad deal.

I agree with several of the posts earlier. It is too far out to purchase air tickets for June 2018. I'd wait till January of 2018 to look for air tickets.

Even though you want LAX-FLR, but you may also consider air fare for LAX-FCO or LAX-PSA to see if the price difference is worth the added time for the train ride at the end of the journey. Roma Termini to Florence is only 90-min by high speed train, and Pisa airport to Florence is only 60~90 minutes by regional train.

During January of this year (2017) there were wide range airfare sales to Europe offered by several airlines. I purchased BOS-FRA, AMS-BOS for flying May/June of 2017 and paid only $440/pp on Lufthansa.

Good luck.

For those who have already sailed on a Viking Ocean ship, where did you go to get a good cup of coffee in the middle of the day?

And is this coffee included or at extra charge?

Thanks,

Mei

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We just did the 12-night Rio to Buenos Aires segment on the Marina from 12/7 to 12/19/2016.

If you hold a US passport, then Uruguay and Argentina are visa free for you. You'll only have to apply for a Brazil tourist visa. The fee is $160/pp, and the turn-around time could be 7 to 10 days if you have the online form filled out correctly and send in all the required documents.

I have posted a "HOW-TO" apply for Brazil Visa which is buried in that particular roll-call thread. Since the information may be beneficial to folks in general, I am re-posting the info here again:

1) First of all, get a 2 inch by 2 inch visa photo ready. We just took a picture of each other standing in front of a white wall in the house. Then crop the photo to print a 2 x 2 picture, also, save another version of the digital file so that its resolution is higher than 431x531 pixels, (therefore, a 600x600 pixels photo will suffice, the same size as US passport office required). This picture file is needed for upload later.

2) Look up which Brazilian consulate has jurisdiction over your area in this page: http://washington.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/brazilian_consulates_in_the_us.xml , and follow THAT consulate's instruction regarding to making appointment or address to mail in.

If you reside near Boston, then the Brazil Consulate-General in Boston is where you'll apply visa from. Read its general info page: http://boston.itamaraty.gov.br/en-us/visa_general_information.xml​ .

Click on the "How To Apply" link for further instruction.

Click on the "Visa Application Form" link to start fill out your application form online. YOU MUST COMPLETE THIS ONLINE APPLICATION FORM, regardless if you later decide to hand in all the documents in person or to mail them in.

3) On filling the online application form

Go to https://formulario-mre.serpro.gov.br

- (You may have to register online, by choosing an ID and password).

- Select to change to English language from the top right,

- Click on Visa button

You'll see more instruction, including examples of the photo they want

- Click on "Start New Application"

- Fill all the personal data. Enter your name exactly as shown in your passport.

- At the end of first page, on the "Data of Legal Representative", check the "Not Informed" box.

- Click NEXT button to continue

- At some point they will ask you to upload a 2x2 picture file (which is same way as you would navigate to choose a file attachment for an email)

- Ignore the uploading of a signature file

- In Section 3 when asked for "Other Document", enter your US driver's licence info.

- In Section 5, for "Contact in Brazil", ask Oceania for the info of their local agent in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the "Relationship to you" field just say "The local agent of the cruise company I am cruising with".

- If you cannot complete the online application in one-go, click on the save button, it will assign you a RECOVERY CODE, write this code down, so that you may resume your application later by entering this RECOVERY Code to continue.

- After you have completed the online application, you'll be shown a receipt page with an application number and the recovery code. Print out this receipt page.

- Repeat the same process if you have to do the application for your spouse.

4) On the printed receipt page:

- paste a 2x2 photo on the left side, sign name on the right box (same way as your signature on your passport).

- On the blank "Contact Name" and "Telephone" field, fill in the person's name and phone who filled this online application form.

- make a xerox copy to save as your own record, so that you'll have the application number and the RECOVERY Code for each application at home.

5) Gather all documents:

- Oceania's bill statement and air itinerary, showing you and your spouse's names.

- a copy of the most recent credit card statement (or bank statement) showing both of your names and sufficient available credit or fund.

- a xerox copy of each or your driver's licence

- each of your actual passport book

- each of your visa application printed receipt page (with 2x2 photo affixed and signature field signed. Refer to (4) above.)

- a US postal office's money order, $160 per person. So if you are applying for two persons, then you may supply one money order at $320 value.

- a self-addressed US postal office priority tracking envelop with stamps. The required stamp is $6.50. This is if you do not plan to make a trip to pick it up, and want the consulate to mail everything back to you.

6) Decide if you want to mail everything in (5) to the consulate, or if you want to bring them in in-person. If you want to make a trip to the consulate yourself, make an appointment (by following the online instruction from that consulate). Otherwise mail them in using priority mail with tracking.

7) After your application has reached the particular Brazilian Consulate,

go to https://formulario-mre.serpro.gov.br ,

click on "Check Status" button, enter your RECOVERY CODE, your last name and your date of birth, to track your application status.

Another vote for private guide Pedro Werberg (http://www.amigodebuenosaires.com).

We used him on December 19th, 2016, after disembarkation in Buenos Aires.

He is flexible, friendly, informative, and speaks very good English. Email communication was speedy.

I see that a few folks asked about private tours to Petra. I just want to throw in the one we used in September 2015 while on board the Oceania Insignia, so that you'll have an additional option to consider.

We booked a private tour for 4 PAX to visit "Petra + Wadi Rum" with Petra Nights Tours: http://www.PetraNightsTours.com . You may also choose a shorter tour from them to just visit Petra.

The drive from port to Petra was 2 hours. (The van had air-con, WIFI, and the driver also gave us a cellphone to contact him during the day.) In Petra, a local guide accompanied the four of us into the archaeological site, the heat and humidity overcame most of the visitors on that day. After Petra, we had a buffet lunch outside the visitor's center, then drove 90-min to Wadi Rum where we changed to a jeep for a 90-min drive on the desert, then another 60-min on the van to drive back to the port. Our pickup time at the port was 6am, and then returned back to the port at 6:30pm. The tour company did a good job, I highly recommend it. However, be warned that the jeep used for our drive in the Wadi Rum did not have a working air-con, so we were hot, but the interesting conversation with the young Bedouin guide/driver more than made up for it.

On second thought, I think the taxi fare to the mosque was in the neighborhood of USD$20.

All taxi drivers we encountered were foreign workers and spoke English.

We were just there last year (2015). I don't remember the exact fare, but it was about 21 km distance and the taxi ride was about 20 minutes. I would guess the fare was probably around USD $12. Taxis in Abu Dhabi and Dubai are inexpensive.

Read http://www.szgmc.ae/en/mosque-opening-hours to note the mosque's opening hours.