ericosmith

My research earlier was that if there was a ships tour there, there were not other private tours.

1 hour ago, Globalfish said:

Seems like I won’t be able to access it until I return to the States next week.

have you tried using a VPN?

6 hours ago, SCX22 said:

Same here.  Not sure why I would take my vacation time to listen to a live lecture.  It's not college.  When you peek into the said lectures, sometimes you'll see some audience members "resting their eyes."  One could literally find a video on the Internet about any subject and watch it at home. Same difference.

I dunno, I've enjoyed some of the guest lecturers on Celebrity in the past.  I remember one who had a series on the real CSI.  I find it refreshing to have an activity that's not trying to sell you something.  

11 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

 

When did you do all this?

 

Viking are having problems with their systems and the air portion.  I cannot see air for one of my cruises, but it is done.

 

Make sure that you are talking to Air Plus and not regular reservations.  Ask to be transferred.

 

Did you pay on your credit card the $300 or is it just showing on your invoice.

 

I called Air Plus today and they fixed the issue with MVJ so it now shows there.  
Thanks for the tips!

17 minutes ago, CDNPolar said:

Did you actually pay for Air Plus?

 

If so, did you call Viking Air Plus department to book?

 

Yes to both.  I have the invoice showing the $300 charge and also an itinerary and airline booking number from them but nothing showing in MVJ.  I'll give them a call and see what they say.

2 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

If you have actually "booked" these flights with Air Plus then you can go into MVJ - MyVikingJourney - at anytime and see your flights.  As well, if changes occur to the flights you have blocked in MVJ, you will get an email with an update air itinerary.

 

I'm wondering if there's some trick I'm missing.  Perhaps Oceans are different than rivers.  I have an emailed itinerary for my river cruise but MVJ still says my itinerary will be available at 90 days.  Since it's the same air department (I think) I don't know why it wouldn't be the same.  

With that timing about your only chance for a fjord tour is something like this.

https://rodne.no/en/fjord-experiences/bergen/fjordcruise-mostraumen/

It leaves from the fish market area so that would give you a little time to look around the most interesting parts of the city.  The funicular is a short walk from there also so you might be able to fit in a quick trip up and back. Only worth it if the weather is nice.

So here's my plan.  I'm willing to gamble $300 for a potential much larger savings.  I'm looking for premium economy so there aren't as many available seats to choose from.  I've reserved flights under the contract which in my case is $2400 multi city.  The flights I would have picked myself are over $4000 and are not under the contract.  I'm arriving 2 hours later on a "do nothing" day and laying over 2 hours longer on the return.  For that I'm saving over $3200 for two.  I'm told that contracts change frequently and with Air Plus I can call back at any time to check.  I'll be back with them monthly until ticketing time so see if I can save that 4 hours while at the same time checking for fare changes on flights I can book myself.  

2 hours ago, memoak said:

If everyone one in your group have IPhones you will be able to use your phone’s texting feature. We do this all the time but won’t work between Apple and Android 

You're saying you can do this while in airplane mode and without buying a wifi package?

53 minutes ago, Outerdog said:

I would say seats where your view is obstructed by the stairwell there on the right, the service station, or perhaps the forward bulkhead of the car right in your face...

I spent all my time on the outside viewing platform.  Who needs a seat.

You can also book the train at 90 days through vy.no.  Those tickets are in addition to those sold to the cruise line and Norway's Best.  I wouldn't worry about having time to see the town.  It's 100% tourist stuff.  The round trip to the viewpoint is 90 minutes with a half hour each way and a half hour at the viewpoint.  

11 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

In recent years MVJ has upgraded their airline search capabilities. You can search for a different flight and even a different airport. We live close enough to two major airports where we’ve been able to change flight, assign seats, depart from one and return to another all without using Air Plus. If after Viking assigns flights not to your liking and you’ve search MVJ for alternatives, you can then add Air Plus. No need to start off paying more without a reason.

Well with Air Plus you can pick your flights and seats at 310 days rather than 90.  Granted things will probably change when booking that far out but during busy travel periods you may have a better selection.  You can also keep checking the fare difference for alternatives over the entire period rather than just at 90 days.  

I'm looking at the Upper Mississippi cruise.  In the description it says there is an included hotel night.  There is also an optional hotel night offered at the Four Seasons.  I'm confused about whether a hotel is included or it is at an extra cost.  

What time does your flight land?  You'll get a much better selection of tours from Reykjavik than from Keflavik.  There is nothing around the airport hotels so unless it's to save money or you're getting in late there's not much point in staying there.  You might consider renting a car at the airport and doing the exploring on your own if you're brave enough to do that in winter.  It's a long way to the ice caves from Reykjavik.

What's a bookmark?  Will it fit in a Kindle?

4 hours ago, Octolover3333 said:

I think I’ve seen holders that can attach the medallion to the back of your cell phone case. Has anyone tried this?

l've not had that but have had it on my watch band.  What I found was that the NFC on the watch interfered with the tap terminals.  I would assume that same issue would occur with the phone.  Turn off NFC and it works fine. 

I've had flights changed that I've booked myself on domestic airlines without notice from the airline.  Same with seats.  I've learned to keep checking the booking myself rather than relying on anyone else including the airline.  

I know nothing about this but it seems to be an alternative to the hike if you really want to go.

https://www.mountainguides.is/tour/plane-wreck-shuttle

Just did both on my own a couple of months ago.  Combined them so I never returned to Reykjavik.  I would take a look at some of the guided tours and what those stops are.  See which interest you the most. The Golden Circle is a loop so you don't backtrack down the same roads.  It is also more varied in terms of the types of stops.  The time seemed to pass more quickly than on the south shore route.  On the other hand while the main stops on both routes were crowded, the Golden Circle had tour vehicles everywhere.  If you are doing this on your own zoom in on Google maps and look for the cameras.  For example we found a waterfall on the south shore called Urriðafoss.  It has the highest volume of water flowing of any fall in Iceland but there was virtually nobody there, probably because there is no bus parking.  

No need to stabilize.  The more likely issue you might have with a slower shutter speed is the forward motion of the boat.  

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

Neither airport is very close to the cruise port. When we sailed out of Galveston we used a Princess transfer to get from the ship to the airport.  Hobby is about 40 minutes away but Princess didn't offer shuttle service to that airport so we ended up taking a longer ride to George Bush Intercontinental.

How much did Princess charge for the shuttle and did they have multiple times?

People watching of dining room dress is part of the dinner entertainment.  

If I'm going to need an alarm I always schedule a wakeup call in addition to the alarm on my phone.  That way I know for sure that my phone (and by extension watch) are on the correct ships time.  

11 hours ago, CCJack said:

one other credit card travel tip... we usually make sure I only carry 1 or 2 cards and my wife carries different 1 or 2 cards.  We  make sure we don't carry a card the other one has.  In this way if we lose a bag or wallet, one of us will have a card that has not been lost or compromised.

I do the same although to be truthful I just spent 3 weeks in Europe and I don't think I ever pulled out a card (well maybe once or twice in for a sit down meal).  I paid with my watch or my phone everywhere.  

What is your final destination?  Chances are there's only one flight per day if it's in the US and perhaps not even everyday.  I'd certainly look at what the options might be if you missed the connection.