Heidi13

June 12th is the only day with 5 ships all season, with most weekends only having 2 ships. When Orion returns Saturday 2nd July they only have 2 ships - Orion and Majestic Princess. As I noted before, the actual disembarkation/embarkation process depends on the number of security screeners and Canada/USA Border Agents available. Like everything else, post COVID, they have staffing shortages. Clearly Viking knew the docking dates, but are not privy to the terminal operation months ahead.

Too early for us, but it's definitely high on the priority list of future cruises. We are thinking 2025, but the reverse.

You can call it anything you like, it is still Master's discretion. Many policies can have different interpretations.

Here is my re-collection of the Orion's port visit. It was Viking's first ever arrival and there were also 3 mega ships in port that day. May 2019, if memory is correct. With 3 mega ships, they have no additional berth space for another 700' ship. In Alaska, Viking are the new kids, as the other cruise lines have berths booked years in advance. The Viking Orion increased speed and arrived about 03:00 to 04:00, docking to discharge the baggage, then anchored within the inner harbour. The Harbourmaster made available their dock for the Viking tenders. Pax completed Immigration onboard, then disembarked by tender to the Harbourmaster's dock, which is adjacent to Canada Place. While the Harbourmaster made arrangements to embark by tenders, it was vetoed by Immigration, as once you clear US Immigration you can't re-enter Canada. The plan was for pax to board a bus for a 1/4 ml trip to the tenders. This delayed embarkation until after 18:00, when Viking Orion returned to the berth. Some pax speculated Viking provided the wrong arrival date due to crossing the IDL, but that was nothing but a poor rumour, as I verified it with the then Harbourmaster.

Another once proud cruise line that's been "Carnivalised"😞

Another consideration I forgot to mention. When sailing by ferry between Vancouver (Tsawwassen) and Victoria (Swartz Bay) they take a much more scenic and challenging route than the cruise ships.

Not only do you require ArrCan, you must complete it prior to boarding at the start of the cruise. I'm surprised the cruise line does not provide this information.

Affirmative, berth space is booked many months (years) ahead, with the cruise lines providing arrival & departure times. When it comes to managing the boarding process, it also involves the security contractors and Canada Border Services for disembarking pax and US Border Services for embarking pax. Who knows how many officers they can provide? I no longer know the Harbourmaster, or have any contacts at Metro Port Vancouver, so cannot find out the reasons for the delay. Regardless, your embarkation will be significantly smoother at 16:00 than fighting with thousands of mega ship pax. Even getting into the facility can be a challenge on busy days between 11:00 and 15:00.

Suggest you keep asking, as while that is the standard, it is also Master's discretion. Some Masters are more accommodating of Bridge visits than others. Personally, provided the conditions were reasonable and I had a spare Officer available, I always approved Bridge visits.

When cancelling a cruise, my understanding is you have a choice of the RFG, which provides 100% vouchers, or a partial cash refund, in accordance with the cancellation policy With the Viking Insurance, if you opt for the refund, you will receive a partial cash refund from Viking with the percentage based on the number of days before departure. From 70 to 89 days, they retain 35% of the fare. For the funds retained by Viking, you can submit a claim to the insurance and provided you meet the criteria for a covered reason, the insurance should pay the cash that Viking's cancellation policy withheld. Another point to consider - If you do not meet the insurance criteria for a cash refund, the Viking Insurance does provide vouchers, but they are only valid for 12-months. Therefore, you need to consider your probability of meeting the cash refund requirements (stated reason). If you have a low probability, it may be better requesting the 2-yr vouchers from the RFG, rather than the partial cash and 1-yr insurance vouchers. This is all based on the fact that the cruise was booked with cash rather than an existing FCV. The insurance cost is not levied on the value of the FCV, only cash paid. If a FCV was used for partial payment, you would need to negotiate to have it re-instated.

Most likely, the change is due to having 5 ships in Vancouver that day - Celebrity Eclipse, Serenade OTS, Noordam, NG Orion & Viking Orion. Canada Place will be a sea of humanity with disembarking pax and those arriving early. Consider it a blessing in disguise that boarding is delayed until 16:00/16:30. No way I would want to be in Canada Place any earlier.

Seattle is a great city, but be aware that Seattle is about 100 miles further from Alaska than Vancouver and you must also visit a Canadian port. Both these factors result in Seattle ships having less time in Alaska. Due to the US PVSA, all Seattle cruises to Alaska must be R/T, so you can't get up to Prince William Sound. The Seattle ships also spend a considerable portion of the cruise in the Pacific Ocean, as they head out Juan de Fuca and steam up/down the Pacific, West of Vancouver Island to/from Alaska. If sailing from Seattle, the time in Victoria is usually from 16:00 - 19:00 until 23:59, so minimal time to see anything. If heavy weather is experienced, the Victoria arrival is often delayed, so even less time. Victoria is easy to reach from Vancouver, with hourly ferry service from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay. They have a bus service from downtown Vancouver to downtown Victoria, on each sailing.

Sorry, but having spent 40 + yrs at sea, my experience disagrees with your statement that most get over it in a day or 2. While I have never been afflicted, I have seen many experienced seamen with many years at sea get seasick every time we hit some weather. The only reason they normally improve after a couple of days is because the storm was over. They weren't cured, or over it, as when the next storm arrived, they were all just as sick. DW also falls into the same category, as she gets better as the storm eases, but gets just as sick when the next one arrives.

Same here.😁

LHR T2 & T3 are actually fairly close and are both accessed through the tunnel under the main runway from Bath Road. They have an underground walkway that is well sign-posted and if memory serves me right, has a number of moving walkways. It is T5 (West end) and T4 (South end) that are a considerable distance.

As with everything on the ship, it is at the Master's discretion.

Other than the Hurtigruten ship Roald Amundsen, I don't see any other small ships out of Vancouver that are comparable to the Viking experience. Seven Seas Mariner (Regent) does alternating 7-day N'bd/S'bd cruise that only stop at Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway & Icy Point Strait. Silver Muse (Silversea) - similar alternating 7-day N'bd/S'bd. Both of those are more formal than Viking. Regatta (Oceania) has a late season down to L/A Roald Amundsen - 16-day cruises with lots of small port stops, with much of it is above Seward

With many years of navigating these waters, in post # 10, I explained where you can encounter rough seas on a 1-way Whittier to Vancouver. The last few hours into Vancouver can also be rough, when navigating Georgia Strait, but SE'ly storms are unusual during the Alaska season. The more common NW'ly provide following seas, which are easier.

I would be asking Viking to provide the pick-up details, or if you use a TA, have them find out. It could vary based on which terminal the majority of pax arrive at, so previous experience may not be relevant.

We also prefer to us miles/points when flying. When we booked the River/Ocean combo the Onboard Cruise Consultant advised that with Air Plus, Viking could book our flights using our points. Unfortunately, that was old information and Viking Air no longer provide this service. Once Viking Air book your flights, depending on the Fare Class booked, you may be able to upgrade with miles/points. However, some Fare Classes do not permit any upgrades. Best check at the time of booking what Fare Class they plan to book. If they have options, it may cost a premium to get an upgrade friendly Fare Class. Good luck. BTY - I am planning to upgrade our flights back from Stockholm next year, so will have our TA go through the process of determining the Fare Class with Viking Air. If it works, we will upgrade from Business to First.

Engine Room - normally the most you will see these days is the Engine Control Room (MCR), which is located off the MI/I95, on Deck A. The lawyers & risk management types shut down pax in the actual engine room spaces many years ago. When we had a normal pax load they didn't promote E/R tours, but if you asked and had a marine/engineering connection the Chief Engineer, may agree. Once we were down to 8 pax we were provided a tour of the MCR. Bridge - The Bridge procedures of many cruise lines with modern navigation, command & control standards do not permit pax on the Bridge at sea. When we had full pax load, Bridge tours were not published, but again, if requested and you had a marine connection, the Master may approve. Generally, in port. When we were down to 8 pax, we were provided a tour of the Bridge at sea. To show how much times have changed, back in my Cadet days, I conducted Bridge tours every 1/2 hr on sea days. I also have a photo of the Bridge full of pax in the Panama Canal.

At least we got to experience his private yacht.😁

In Vancouver Cruise Terminal, you pass through US Immigration prior to boarding the vessel, so although the ship is in Canadian Waters, all pax and crew are effectively considered to be in the US. It is the same situation at Vancouver Airport, when flying into the US, you actually enter the US in Vancouver. Once aboard the ship, if you wish to go ashore, you must pass through Canadian Immigration and then to reboard, pass through US Immigration.

I should also have mentioned, that the cruise line's base price is often not an accurate indication of total cost, especially with World Cruises. We have complete 2 World Cruises, so far: 2015 WC on Princess, 104-night R/T from Sydney. Posted price was about $33K pp 2020 WC on Viking, 119-night from L/A to Greenwich. Posted price was about $60K pp By the end of both cruises, after all expenses were added to the spreadsheet, the net daily cost was virtually identical. Yes, we could have done the Princess cruise cheaper with economy flights, which are included on Viking, but if we are taking a WC, we are going to be comfortable and enjoy it. Sitting in economy for 15+ hrs, at our age, isn't comfort. The other consideration, when taking a World Cruise, is you want opportunities to not only see the World, but also experience the World. It is critical to compare the sea day/port days ratio, the number of hours alongside and most importantly the number of overnights and double overnights in a port. Overnights and double overnights significantly reduce the chance of missing the ship, and provide real opportunities to explore. You will find the cheaper World Cruises tend to have more sea days, less hours in port and fewer if any overnight/double overnights.

In addition to the previous replies, it is very early for whale season, as they are just arriving, so less potential of seeing whales. Too early for salmon run, so you won't see them either at the Ketchikan Creek. Although our bears are out in Metro Vancouver, I doubt you will see many in Alaska that early. Therefore, less opportunities for seeing wildlife, which is one of the primary reasons for cruising Alaska. As a pro, on clear days you will still have snow on the mountains, which makes for great photos. The ports will also not be crowded, but may have limited tour options available.