loriva

When manufacturers stop making women's clothing without POCKETS, I'll stop using a lanyard for my key card!

Seriously, I have bought a couple of small cell phone purses to carry my key card and phone since so many cruise lines now have daily schedules, specialty restaurant reservations, etc. on their ap so you need to carry your phone around the ship.  So, I'm also interested in the answer to the question about the sensitivity of the key card.

18 minutes ago, jennybenny said:

How sensitive are the key cards? Do they demagnetize easily? In my prior cruise life, I found that if I had my cell phone and cruise card in the same area, the card key would demagnetize and no longer work. Not an issue on the ship because I don't have my phone on me, but when getting off the ship, it is. 

 

I absolutely would never wear with a lanyard. 

 

Just curious. 

Many thanks,

Surprised no one has posted this:   https://thepointsguy.com/news/cruise-ship-muster-drill-changes-reasons/

8 hours ago, Azulann said:

Is your Danish Heritage Tour an organized one or are you  doing this on your own? I know all the towns of my Danish great grandparents but  those towns are not near Copenhagen  where we will  overnight on ship and do the post extension. I figure just being in Denmark  being among " my people "  will be great experience.

Sorry to go off topic for the OP.  A woman in Copenhagen does genealogical research and then leads personalized tours.  Just search for "Danish Heritage" plus the word "tours"--all together.

20 hours ago, Azulann said:

But being Danish , I hope to see all the Danish ports including Bornholm.😍

Også mig!  My sister and I are following our Viking Homelands cruise with a Danish Heritage tour to see where our Mormor was born (Vejle) and where her family lived (Grenaa).  Despite solidly Danish surnames--both ending in -sen--we've learned part of the family came from Sweden in the early 1800s.  And then ended up just south of you--in Winona--when the family immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s.

Not on the question of buses, but in our experience if you book a SG that includes a meal, tea, or pub stop you will be there at the same time as the normal excursion group.  So your SG may expand to a normal group.

10 hours ago, BenLynn said:

We booked Custom Air to make a stop in London for several days then to Barcelona two days before the cruise started on October 8, 2023. Our travel agent told us that Regent would not provide transportation even though I'd go to the airport on the 8th to meet the buses taking arriving passengers to the cruise port in Tarragona.  i couldn't ever pay to have them transport me. Has anyone else run into this problem? Thank you.

You might want to post this as a new thread on the main board to get more views and responses,, @BenLynn. 

Regent did provide us with a transfer to their hotel in London from Southampton although our flight home was not for three days--BUT we were bumped from our flight home due to a hurricane in Florida, so our case may be unusual.

6 hours ago, duquephart said:

No brainers:

 

Vasa Museum in Stockholm - easily done on your own.

Roskilde out of Copenhagen.

Fjord cruise (Pulpit Rock) out of Stavanger - book Rodne for 1/3 of what Viking wants.

Flam RR out of Eidfjord.

 

These choices were all made based on much research here and elsewhere.

 

 

 

Thanks for your information, @duquephart.  We're also looking to do the Vasa Museum, probably on embarkation day as our flight to Stockholm arrives too late the previous day to visit it then.  DH has never been to Stockholm, so we are looking to take Viking's included tour the second day of the cruise.  (We're on the same cruise as @SempreMare.)  I've been trying to find a private option to the evening cruise in Stockholm our first night, but not finding any on the nights we are there.  One company will not post its schedule for 2023 until April, so maybe then.

I'd second the recommendations for Roskilde and the Flam RR.  Did both many decades ago when I lived in Copenhagen.  Roskilde gains in importance as the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo is closed for renovations (of course since we have lots of time there--an overnight--due to the change of itinerary stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine).  It's a little bit complex to get to Roskilde from the port using public transit--excellent and reliable in Denmark--but given the 12 hours we have there, doable on your own.  I may send DH on Viking's Flam excursion as he has not been.

Thanks for the recommendation for the Pulpit Rock cruise!

6 hours ago, duquephart said:

I think you stand a pretty good chance of having more than only one sea day.

Thanks @duquephart.  Which ports historically are skipped on the Viking Homelands' itinerary?  All times of the year?  Or more likely some months?  (We are sailing in May.)

Many thanks,

On the same sailing as you, @SempreMare.  Since we only have one sea day on this 15-day itinerary, wondering if some of the later arrivals (or early departures in Stockholm and Oslo) are to provide some additional daytime sailing time?  It will be our first time on Viking Ocean as well as our first Baltic (albeit a modified one), so just speculating.

Many thanks,

Looking at the information on the website of the U.S. Embassy Honduras, it states all visitors to Honduras must fill out and be prepared to show to Immigrations officials a "Pre-check form."  It appears to be free to obtain and you obtain it through this website:  https://prechequeo.inm.gob.hn/

It is unclear if this information is current or not.  Has anyone done this?  Been asked for the form on docking at Roatan?

Many thanks,

7 minutes ago, UWDawg said:

During the 21/22 Viking World Cruise, to-go cardboard cups with tops were readily available in the Living Room bar, Star Theater bar, Explorers' Lounge bar, and World Cafe.  

Sorry for the misunderstanding.  I prefer NOT to use single-use cups.  I would like to use my reusable insulated mug but want to know if the baristas on Viking will make my coffee in that or if it is no longer permitted due to hygiene reasons.

Thanks for the contributions to this thread through the years, including changes after the COVID pause.  It has been very helpful as we prepare for our first Viking Ocean cruise after a great "Christmas on the Elbe" trip with Viking in December 2022.

One question that someone who has sailed recently might be able to answer.  I noticed a suggestion to take insulated mugs for coffee to-go from the baristas.  (Or potentially, the self-service coffee maker in the World Cafe.)  This is something we have done for years--especially mugs with handles that allow me to carry both in one hand and have the other hand free to open doors, etc.  On a cruise with Princess (our go-to line for many years) in August 2022, however, the baristas said they were not allowed to use personal mugs for coffee anymore per new hygiene protocols.

Does anyone know if Viking baristas will still make a coffee drink--latte, Americano, etc.--using personal mugs or not?  If not, does Viking have the cardboard carriers to allow transport of multiple cups--although I still hate to waste paper cups every day.  Or do they make coffee in real mugs?  Trying to figure out if I should pack ours or not.  (Thanks as well for information on the Nespresso makers and the pod choices in the stateroom.)

Many thanks,

On 1/25/2023 at 12:26 PM, sabreline said:

Just booked flights through Regent Custom Air on Monday. We got EXACTLY what we wanted...1 stop between Savannah and Tokyo,  same on return, and first class on both domestic legs. No upcharge, only then $175pp fee for custom air. Some thoughts on the process... I spent a LOT of time studying all the options so I knew exactly what itineraries were possible. I also priced everything with and without using points so that I could compare to any upcharge I might have been encountered. I knew what the air credit would be if I chose to book.our flights on may own. I made sure all my info was entered with Regent including our passports numbers. I called exactly 270 days before our first flight and I called at exactly the minute the air department opened. Most importantly, I had my TA call the reservation department and tell them that I would be calling the air department myself. The result.....within 15 minutes I had my desired itinerary, had seats reserved and got a thank you from the agent for being organized and not taking any more of her time than absolutely necessary.

We had a very similar experience with Regent Custom Air when we booked on 23 January (270 days before we embark our Med cruise.)  I had used Google Air to research potential flight itineraries and compared pricing booking directly, through AmEx's International Air Program, and even with a consolidator.  I was, however, curious on what the Regent Air agent would suggest as an itinerary (Orlando-Venice and return Athens-MCO) so started by asking after I made it through the queue (about a 45-minute wait).  She suggested a routing on United through EWR that would have come with a $2,300/pp upcharge.  I asked her to take a look at the Lufthansa routing (MCO-FRA-VCE and ATH-FRA-MCO) I had found.  She was able to reserve that without an upcharge, but we will need to take an earlier LH flight out of Athens instead of the Aegean one I had found--we're staying two additional nights on our own in Athens after we disembark, so an early flight is not an issue.  The pricing was $2,500 (air credit on our cruise fare) plus the $175 air deviation fee.  This was about $1,200/pp less than I could find independently--even the agent at the consolidator told me I should take it from Regent!  We are in business class for the entire routing--including the two intra-European flights.  (The agent said that was why she could not book Aegean--she could not find biz class seats.)

The only hiccup is that our TA (the big box store one) had not noted I could work directly with Regent on the air.  I did not encounter this when I booked air with Regent for a British Isles cruise in September 2021.  The agent promised me a callback so I could call my TA.  I did so (and had them also annotate our other two bookings for 2024 and 2025).  The agent called me back about an hour after the promised time and we finalized everything.  She sent me the proposed itinerary, which I returned with our approval.  It took a few days to show up on my Regent account but is there now.

Based on my experience--only two air bookings with Regent--it is difficult to beat their pricing to Europe.  (Unless you have miles to use, of course.  We're using those for our Viking Ocean Baltic cruise in May as Viking's air prices are close to market from what my research has found.)  We MAY be able to do better independently on our upcoming Sydney to Singapore and Papeete to Auckland itineraries with Regent, but time will tell.

Safe travels all,

On 2/2/2023 at 8:37 PM, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

JK Rowling (author of Harry Potter series), writing under the name Robert Galbraith -- the

Cormoran Strike series.

Thanks for the list, @GeorgiaPeach51.  As others have noted, some old favorites and some I will need to seek out.  I laughed out loud to see Tim Dorsey's name on the list--he's an acquired taste and it helps if you know something about life in Florida.  But if you like series about crazy, genius serial killers and drug-addict sidekicks, the series is hysterical.  Dorsey comes out with a new one every year with the latest due this month.  You are correct to link him with Carl Hiaasen as "Florida Man" fiction as well! 

I just finished the Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott series.  You'll need LOTS of sea days to finish the six-book series--I think the books average about 1,000 pages.  Cinemax has made a show based on the series, but i have not seen it.

Take care and happy reading,

On 2/3/2023 at 2:08 PM, millybess said:

But sadly no pistachio buns.😢

Having read about the pistachio buns somewhere in the 76 pages of "Tips for New Viking Ocean Cruisers," inquiring minds want to know--what has happened to them?  Are they gone for good?  Or just a morning offering?

14 hours ago, LHT28 said:

 

the drinks need to be the same 

2 glasses of wine/ 2 rum/coke  etc..

 

Do the drinks at HH need to be drunk by the same person?  DH and I--at most--will drink one cocktail apiece before dinner and a glass of wine with dinner, so not planning on buying the beverage package.  We plan to bring on some wine and pay the corkage to drink that at dinner (and have O save the remainder for another night) but interested if O allows us to split the HH cocktails or not.

3 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Quoting a New York Times article fromn April, 2022:

 

Unless you have no other choice, an all-in-one, single-drum, washer-dryer combo is almost never the best way to do your laundry. We spent 10 hours looking into 13 models, and couldn’t find a model that works anywhere near as quickly as a separate washer and dryer.

 

 

And no, it does not fold the clothing for you. That is just advertising hype.

We had one when we lived in the UK.  The only way to get it to work somewhat was to use the cycle that took many hours--six?  more?--and run loads overnight.  (Do not think that would be realistic on board.)  Even then I had to hang items coming out to get them thoroughly dry.  I hope this is only on the older VO ships, not an "improvement" Viking is making.

16 hours ago, MSEm said:

We were opting for the $600 OBC, but TA added our O Club member numbers.  We were then eligible for the O Club member discount of 10% off cruise fare which isa better deal for us.

Agree, you have to do the math.

First-time Oceania cruisers, so will be O Club members after our sailing next month.  Can the O Club member discount be combined with other offers?  For example, OLife, OBC offers from TA,, and the NCLH shareholder benefits?  We found in booking our upcoming cruise that the latter two could not be combined with the Florida Residents' fare, so curious if the same applies to O Club fares.

20 hours ago, makai 7 said:

FYI it is $600 per cabin, not per person for the anniversary ob credit.

Yes, you are absolutely correct--per cabin, not per person.  Shows up on My Account on Oceania.com as ppp.  And the numbers work out even--pp and per cabin--in our case as we are two in a cabin.  Sorry for the mis-statement and any confusion created.  Thank you for the correction!

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

If you have 2-3 drinks  (other than wine/beer with meals)  you will be ahead of the game

JMO

First time with Oceania next month.  If you buy the Prestige package do you have a selection of better wines included than with the Select package?  My comparison is with Viking, where the Silver Spirits beverage package includes upgraded wine selections, including bottles up to $75.

Many thanks,

4 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

For example, we did a Go With Gus Rio Dulce & Livingston tour in Guatemala (12/2021)

Do you recall how you booked this, @MEFIowa?  The "Go with Gus" website shows a message of "no online availability" for any dates (whole months) when I try online booking.  I used the "Contact Us" link over a week ago and have not received a response from that.  The number that comes up with the "no availability" is completely different (even different area code) from the contact number on their website.  I've had issues with other tour operators--even those with good reviews on CC.com or TripAdvisor--who have made fraudulent charges on our credit card, so am very careful now in booking.

Many thanks,

7 hours ago, MEFIowa said:

As someone who does "cruise only" with O, you've been fooled. The "net" was -$100/pp. That is money you have to pay. Out your pocket. Real money. As for OBC, that is NOT money you collect to add to your pocket. It isn't normal money. Given the mark ups by O, you're lucky to get 50 cents on the OBC dollar for whatever it is you're receiving! About the only exception is to pay the gratuity charge with OBC, since you will have to pay real money for that. But on a 10-day cruise the increase in cabin price means even doing that is only what, $60 or $80 saved? Not a net of $200.

 

Do this thought experiment: O says, "We have to raise your fare by $2000 but we'll give you $3000 OBC." What is the net? $-2000? Or +$1000?

We always do the math as well.  The price difference between the Anniversary Sale price (after the air credit is deducted as we do not need it) and the cruise-only fare is $300/pp.  We will be receiving $600/pp in OBC from the Anniversary Sale and the OLife package ($300/pp from each promotion).  We will use that to pay for gratuities, a dinner or two in La Reserve, plus our bar bill including corkage for wines we'll carry on.  I know many people find great value in taking the shorex package (where you could get up to $600/pp in value versus $300/pp OBC), but I found equivalent tours for the shorex that looked of interest to us on our Oceania cruise next month and found the prices much lower when done independently.  One that I was sure was the same provider was $119 from O and $69 directly.  So, a little better than 50 cents on the dollar, but not by much.  We do not drink enough to find the drink packages work out for us, so won't take that OLife option nor buy a package.  While I understand your point about an additional $200 outlay of cold, hard cash the value we'll receive from the $1,200 in OBC provides value to us.  Even if it is only 50 cents on the dollar, we still seem to be ahead by $400 -- $1,200 divided in half equals $600 minus $200 equals $400. 

On 1/25/2023 at 2:00 PM, m1k2s3 said:

I just saw on the Oceania website that the cruise we’ve booked in May 2023, is now offering this 20th Anniversary $600 onboard credit. For your experience, what are the chances we’ll get that too? We booked this cruise back in September 2022.

I also found today that our cruise in December 2024 is included in the 20th Anniversary sale.  The base fare went up $100/pp but we received an additional $300/pp OBC--so a net gain of $200/pp.  Contacted our TA who contacted Oceania who "re-fared" our cruise.  Essentially a new booking, but they moved our deposit over so no additional funds out of our pocket now and an extra $400 when we sail.

3 hours ago, LHT28 said:

How many ships are hooked up ?

Once  hundreds of ships get  hooked  up wonder what the service will be like  ??

 😈

SpaceX just sent up another batch of Starlink satellites this morning so the plan is to keep growing capacity.

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

Let us know how you like Regent. We are also looking for a replacement for Princess. We did one Oceania cruise. You will like it. Princess used to be like this 10 years ago.

We have enjoyed our two cruises with Regent--one Caribbean on Explorer and a British Isles on Splendor.  But they are very expensive.  Which is why I'm doing a spreadsheet to compare actual costs of Oceania (no drinks package, gratuities, or shorex included--depending on OLife selection or cruise only), Viking (wine and beer included at lunch and dinner, no gratuities, shorex but usually panoramic), and Regent (all inclusive, including air and hotel if desired).