Heidi13

I have attached a list of Viking shore-ex from 2019/20 that includes posts in Aus/NZ/Meddy. ShoreExcursions List to Mar 27th.pdf

I'm with you Jim. My first trip through the "Desert Ditch" was at night, a few years after it re-opened. Next one was in daylight, when I realised, I didn't miss much at night. Panama is a different story. Even though I have well over a couple dozen transits through Panama, I'm still one of the first out on deck. Still haven't done the new locks and really no interest in seeing them, as we won't sail mega ships and I'm not going back to work.

When we cancelled the WC, I submitted a claim for the retained deposit of $2,000. They received the documents on 29th Aug and approved the claim on 8th September. Due to the cost of both the WC deposit cost and total cost, no local or online broker would accept the risk, so we had no option other than Tripmate.

Not a problem; however, in a real emergency when you need directions from the crew, in accordance with your fee for service model, you will need to pay to receive directions from the crew for a safe route to the Assembly Stations. The stairway guides will all be carrying card readers, so no cash is required. I suggest you pay, as the option of opening the wrong FSD could be fatal. BTW - the cost would be significantly more than your $500 OBC. Since with your model, training requires a fee, you will also be charged should you require assistance with donning your lifejacket and then additional training on how to go to the Survival Craft.

Unfortunately, I haven't sailed up the west coast of Africa, as we always used Suez, so I haven't been to Ghana. I worked for P&O/Princess as Navigator, then spent almost 30 yrs as Captain on our local Ro/Pax.

Sorry, but the size of the ship has very little to do with the seakeeping ability in rough weather. The key factors are the design/scantlings, stability and skill of the Bridge Team in reading the ocean. I have sailed worldwide on many of the smaller, older steam ships such as SS Oriana and SS Canberra, those ships were smaller than most current cruise ships and handled seas way better. Even with 1960's stabaliser technology, they were better than the modern mega cruise ships. Have also completed 2 full Alaska seasons on the original Sun & Island Princess and those ships were way more comfortable than the new cruise ships.

Sadly, as with most maritime procedures, it will take another accident and more deaths to realise that the current system doesn't effectively prepare pax for an emergency response. I guess memories of Costa Concordia are long since forgotten.

You clearly don't understand the objective of the Muster Drill, as they aren't to teach pax how to abandon ship, or even how to get to the survival craft. Pax Learning - the Muster Drill is to teach pax to identify the ship's General Emergency Signal (GES) and on hearing that signal to go to their "Assembly Station", following the directions of the crew stairway and other guides. This gets all pax mustered and accounted for. In a real emergency pax can remain at the Assembly Stations for many, many hours, even over 24 hrs. Pax heard the signal and went to the Assembly Stations, so YES, there was learning achieved. Crew Learning - the crew need experience in both herding the mass of humanity and establishing/maintaining communications, so they are aware of any areas of the ship that are involved in the emergency, and to direct the pax via alternative routes. These are critical skills and the Muster Drills were the only realistic opportunity to train the crew. They can train with other crew, but the numbers are smaller, and the behaviors experienced are not consistent with those found during drills. These drills provided the crew with invaluable experience, so YES, again there was most definitely learning achieved. The original Muster Drills provided both these learning objectives, the current ones do not.

It also depends on the country, as many countries have stricter rules and certification requirements for service animals than USA. In Canada, they cannot prohibit a certified service animal, which is trained by an organisation or specialised person, in accordance with the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations, from travel. However, if the animal is not trained in accordance with that regulation, it is deemed as an uncertified emotional support animal and is treated as a regular pet. In Canada you can also check the service animal's certification.

The cruise lines can and do set operational standards that are often well above the minimum regulatory requirement. Viking's documentation is often not consistent, and it will probably be resolved closer to embarkation. How far in advance is the cruise?

It is most unfortunate that Ghana is reverting to the original standard for the YF Vaccine, which was 10-yrs. My first YF in 1975 was 10-yrs, but when getting my latest one in 2015, the travel medicine doctor advised that they are now accepted as being lifetime. Since I am now over 65, I will not be receiving YF again, as the risks increase exponentially with age. By 2025, our travel option will sadly decrease. Some countries with yellow fever may accept the waiver, but it is entirely at their discretion. Back in my days sailing on ships, we had to have every vaccination current when we signed on the ship, as some countries would not let the ship dock, if any crew member didn't meet the vaccination standard.

Nothing sad about it, as it is all how you present yourself to the locals. Have spent many great nights ashore interacting with locals. Recall a great night in a cafe just outside the docks in Kobe. We planned to stop in for a beer and ended up staying the entire evening. Ate well and drank well, chatting to and drinking/eating with the local. They didn't speak any English and we didn't speak any Japanese, but we were able to communicate. Having worked extensively with international crews you have many ways to show respect other than learning a few words of the language, especially when visiting multiple countries for only 1 day.

HAL wins for both the ship and itinerary.

Seen everything from a millpond to an outflow Adriatic storm that ripped one of the gangways off the ship.

We have experienced this in a number of ports and they often have queues for US/Canadian citizens, which move fairly quickly. The queues for other citizens move much slower as they check Visas and take finger prints/photos.

Since this is an operational issue that encompasses local regulations, any answer you receive may not be definitive, as you always have the potential for local officials making arbitrary decisions. I have also seen a situation where tenders didn't operate on a schedule but were available to call. Viking always try to accommodate pax needs, so if you mention it onboard, advising when you will return to the dock, I have no doubt the ship will endeavour to get you back onboard.

Sorry, that isn't one of the questions I thought to ask, but recall the Cabin Steward mentioning about a dozen cabins being affected. It's also 20 yrs since I ran a shipyard when we installed one of these systems, so I can't recall the specs.

Every port is different with their regulations for tendering. In similar situations, I have seen tenders continue operating throughout the night. Accepting that from say around midnight, the schedule is significantly reduced. In addition to pax you also have crew wanting to go ashore and they work 24/7. Edit - the schedule will be posted in the Viking Daily.

Jim - you forgot the payment in full 10-years ahead of departure😁

On our cruise the band included 2 singers.

The toilets on modern cruise ships operate on a vacuum system. It doesn't involve flushing, per shoreside systems, as the contents are sucked out and up into a small diameter black line in the alleyway deckhead. When the system doesn't work it inormally results from loss of vacuum. If the entire ship is out, then it is due to loss of the vacuum pumps in the engine room. When a single section is out, it is normally caused by someone flushing non-approved material, which impacts the seals, so the system cannot create the required vacuum necessary to remove the contents up to the black water line in the deckhead. Each cabin has an access door in the alleyway, so the engineers simply locate to offending cabin in the zone and clear the material. This is usually only a few minutes. If the pipes are blocked, it isn't fixed in 10 minutes, and you will see the engineers working in the alleyway deckhead.

Can't comment on cancelling Newcastle, but have given some thought to the change of port for Brisbane and how Viking could refer to it as "New" regulations. Little Monte posted a few days ago that the Port of Brisbane has been very successful in moving most of the cruise ships from the original Portside berths to the new cruise terminal and by next year, expect all ships to use the new berths. It sounds like they are effectively banning cruise ships from cruising down river to Portside. At the entrance to the river, adjacent to the airport, it is an excellent location for a TAR port, but being 12 miles from the centre of Brisbane and with nothing locally, it isn't a great location for "In Transit" pax. It isn't even very scenic, with the airport on 1 side and a container terminal across the river. If taking a shore-ex it isn't a huge impact, but you can't walk off the ship and explore locally, as it is about 8 miles to the outer suburbs. Brisbane is a long arrival, with the waters of Moreton Bay and north of Moreton Island being fairly shallow. The initial approach to Brisbane starts well north of Moreton Island at Currimundi/Caloundra, where you follow the coast initially then circle around Moreton Bay for the approach to the river. Until passing the airport it isn't exactly scenic cruising, taking at least 4 hrs. If the Port Authority is banning cruise ships from using Portside, Viking may have determined they are better going to Mooloolaba, which is 60 miles to Brisbane, but at least you have places to wander ashore. Mooloolaba is less than 10 miles north of the entrance to the Brisbane approaches.

So true, I've seen the berth change after bringing the pilot onboard.

Guilty as charged😁

Determining if Glacier Bay is a "must-see" is highly subjective and depends on what you want to experience in Alaska. I completed 2 full seasons cruising to Alaska, plus numerous additional cruises as a pax, so I've been to all the glaciers. With respect to Glacier Bay, I've lost count at the number of times I've been in the Bay - well over a couple of dozen. Even with that number of visits, I'm still one of the first pax out on deck for the sail-in. Does Glacier Bay have the most impressive glacier - in my experience and opinion No. However, regardless of the weather - rain, wind, fog, etc. I have never missed getting into Glacier Bay and seeing at least 1 glacier. In addition, the Park Rangers provide exceptional commentary and even having heard it many times, I often pick up new information. You also have multiple sightings of wildlife. On a bright sunny day, Glacier Bay is a spectacular experience. On a cold, wet and windy day, it is still impressive, as the ship is almost guaranteed to see a glacier. Hubbard is the largest and, in my opinion, the most impressive glacier. However, the entrance channel can be icebound, preventing the ship from sailing up to the glacier. I have missed Hubbard Glacier a few times. Tracy Arm is spectacular scenic cruising, especially if the ship navigates down to the glacier. However, even getting into Tracy Arm can be challenging. Of all my cruises to Alaska, I have only been on one, that made it down to the glacier. Most couldn't even enter the Arm.