OneSixtyToOne

As I mentioned in my review, the hotel is next to a huge upscale shopping mall that has many nice restaurants ranging from food court to fine dining. It is a block away on the main access road. Very easy to walk to. To see the main tourist attractions you need a cab. DO NOT use the Black Cabs around the city. The hotel has a private transportation service in the lobby and they can take you anywhere in town for a very reasonable price. You can also arrange a pickup. We made the mistake of not arranging a pickup on our 2nd day and a $15 ride cost up $70 in a Black Cab.

As you indicated it was hotel room and transportation. We always arrive before embarkation day (a flight delay almost cost us a sailing years ago so we learned a valuable lesson). Since air was included it was only logical to book an extension with Viking, as DYI arrangements would have cost us a deviation fee. We like using Viking air because they take care of everything. Just hand over your luggage at the airport and you are on vacation. Although people say they can do it cheaper themselves, the cheap is sometimes expensive. You are paying thousands, maybe tens of thousands on a cruise. I’m not sweating saving a few hundred bucks. We rather have the seamless integration and not worry about missing the ship, lugging bag around, and dealing with unforeseen problems that might arise. For us it was definitely worth the cost.

This is a fabulous cruise. So many different ports and so much history to encounter. Some of our favorite experiences: Nelson’s Victory and Henry VIII’s Mary Rose at Portsmouth. Visiting The Alhambra. The Carthaginian and Roman ruins at Cartagena. The medieval buildings and harbor of Honfleur and visiting Monet’s Garden. The Van Gough and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The best preserved medieval city of Bruges and the best chocolatiers in the world. Guadi’s architecture in Barcelona. The streetcars of Porto. It’s a wonderful adventure!

“Gambling may be an addiction but it’s the only addiction where you can win money” - Norm Macdonald

The closest stop is Santa Fe depot, a couple of blocks from the pier. Good food in Little Italy and right at the Seaport Village stop is Kansas City BBQ where the bar scene in Top Gun was filmed. Great BBQ and reasonably priced. Lots of Top Gun memorabilia on the walls.

For the benefit of others reading this posting, here is the link to my writeup of our Expedition cruise to the Chilean fjords:

Glad to hear that it’s being used as intended. We were on the 2nd sailing of the Jupiter in 2019 and they were only showing movies. After a lecture I asked the astronomer if he could do a presentation in the planetarium. He looked into it and at the next lecture he had created tickets and handed them out. It was an excellent show.

Just a reminder for US travelers to enroll in the State Department’s STEP program. They will notify you of security concerns during your stay. For example, when in Santiago last year we got a notice of demonstrations in the downtown area. We were leaving that day so it didn’t affect us but it IS informative. Recently, for our upcoming trip we’ve received notifications of demonstrations. https://step.state.gov/STEPMobile/Default.aspx

Whew! 😅 For a minute I thought the town was destroyed by Will Ferrell for the movie.

Im more concerned about the side of bed I’m sleeping on. One direction I’m next to the closet, the other I’m not.

The amount depends on how recent your last cruise was. If more than 1 year it’s $100. “Double Past Guest” really gives you the same as a guest who has sailed recently. This promotion started after COVID, probably to entice guests who haven’t traveled with them in a number of years.

The zoo is next to downtown so an Uber is reasonable. Southern California doesn’t have the best bus service. San Diego’s trolley line is fantastic and great to go to the waterfront, Convention Center, Petco Park, and the Gaslamp District but it doesn’t go to the zoo. There is also a hop on hop off tourist bus service. Note: they call themselves Trolley Tours but are a bus that looks like an old fashion trolley car and are not affiliated with the MTA Trolley system. They also have several tours you can take. https://www.trolleytours.com/san-diego If you can get to the parking lot closest to Downton, the city offers a free tram that goes throughout Balboa Park. https://www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation/parks/regional/balboa/tram

From what I’ve read, except in rural areas, they take plastic.

I will definitely email you. Thanks. According to the Viking tour descriptions Diamond Circle visits Dettifoss waterfall while Northern Iceland’s Natural Treasures visits Godafoss and the lava fields, which is a main reason we choose it. Did you do this independently? Did something change or are the tour descriptions incomplete? From MVJ: Iceland’s Natural Treasures: Travel by motor coach along the coast of Eyjafjördur—Iceland’s longest fjord—and take in stunning views of Akureyri and the surrounding mountains. Journey through the Fnjóskadalur Valley to the majestic Godafoss waterfall, named after a pagan priest and chieftain who threw the statues of the pagan gods he once worshipped after converting to Christianity in the year 1000 AD. Your next stop is the Mývatn volcanic lake area, pausing by the impressive pseudocraters at Skútustadir along the way. You will also visit the towering lava castles and grottoes of the Dimmuborgir lava labyrinth, and experience the geothermal wonder of hot sulfuric mud springs and gurgling sulphur cauldrons at Námaskard. After a wonderful day in nature, return to your awaiting ship. Diamond Circle: Meet your guide and embark on a scenic drive to the Dimmuborgir lava fields, known for their dramatic rock formations, with some reaching up to 65 feet high. Continue to Dettifoss, Europe’s most powerful waterfall, and admire its cascade of water as it tumbles into the Jökulsárgljúfur. At the Hljóðaklettar—or Whispering Cliffs—marvel at the craters and basalt columns, formed by the flood waves of the Vatnajökull ice cap. After a delicious two-course lunch, head to Húsavík on the shores of Skjálfandi. This charming fishing town, a popular sight for whale watching, was the backdrop of the 2020 movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams. After your tour, return to your awaiting ship.

The Diamond Circle description says you go to Húsavík after lunch so it sounds like only half of the tour is nature sightseeing. That is a red flag in my book. Also, Diamond Circle is listed as "Demanding." Sounds like climbing is involved to see the waterfall. At what point did you have lunch? Did you continue to other locations or was it back to the ship?

We looked into Gateway to Patagonia for our Expedition cruise of the fjords. We decided against it because of the very long bus ride involved on top of flight times. Remember, you will be sailing in Patagonia so it seems a bit redundant. IMO The other two will offer more variety. I’d pick Machu Picchu.

City life vs country life

We decided to take the Natural Treasures excursion next month. The main reason was this part of the Diamond Circle description: ”After a delicious two-course lunch, head to Húsavík on the shores of Skjálfandi. This charming fishing town, a popular sight for whale watching, was the backdrop of the 2020 movie Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga, starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.” I find the included lunches on Viking excursions to be a huge time sink. Although Natural Treasures does include some sort of meal, there is no mention of a “two-course lunch.” This makes me think that a significant amount of time for the Diamond excursion will be spent in Húsavik instead of in the country side. We are on the Aug 7th sailing of the Venus from Reykjavik and I will be doing an “Almost Live” posting of our latest adventure. Be sure to check it out.

Sea World has morphed into an amusement park after all the bad publicity about killer whales in captivity. Unless you want to ride roller coasters, you are not missing much. We support the zoo, which is non-profit, Sea World is the opposite. If interested in marine life, I suggest Birch Aquarium on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla. It’s part of Scripp’s Oceanographic Institute and UCSD. The view is amazing as are the exhibits. The new trolley line will take you from downtown to the UCSD campus. It’s a bit of a walk from the trolley station to the Aquarium but the campus is beautiful. https://aquarium.ucsd.edu/about

I concur with @SantaFe1. We are members of the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and are about 30 minutes away. You are paying for transportation and general admission only. I would suggest a visit to the Zoo in Balboa Park. The new Pandas just arrived from China this week. They are not on exhibit yet and no date has been announced. My guess is September or October. Take the opportunity to see them. The zoo is more compact than Safari Park so you will see more there in a short time. You can spend days wandering around the Zoo and the museums and gardens in Balboa Park. One hidden gem is the San Diego Model Railroad Museum on the Prado. It’s the largest model railroad exhibit in North America and the museum is fully accredited with the American Association of Museums. It’s pretty unique and amazing place. (Full disclosure, I’m a former president of the museum so I will plug it every opportunity I get.) https://www.sdmrm.org

Yes, and there is also a tray next to the coffee machine that has cups, etc. that can be moved to the desk or coffee table. Here is a link to a blog that has some excellent photos of the staterooms. It has a picture of the coffee machine area. https://viking-cruises-cabin-guide.blogspot.com/p/standard-cabins.html?m=0

They have done this on the expedition ships and it is very noticeable. They have an L-Shaped closet that extends towards the bed.

Deck may be of some concern if you are prone to motion sickness. Lower decks and midship has less motion. More fore than aft is our preference. The forward elevators have less traffic and they take you near the entrance to the Star Theater, which is where you’ll assemble for most excursions. Much shorter walk to the assembly points. Deck 6 near the forward elevator is great because you are a staircase away from the Explorers’ Lounge, Wintergarden, and the World Cafe. IMO port or starboard is six of one, half a dozen of another. You very rarely are in sight of land. If you want a view we highly recommend the aft facing DV1s, great sail away view and the wake is mesmerizing any time of day or night. Docking side is subject to a number of variables and mostly cannot be predicted.

Sounds like Viking will be a great match for you. We never go to shows but we attend all the enrichment lectures, most of which are outstanding. To answer your question about direct vs TA, if you find a deal online you can book directly with Viking and later transfer it to your TA. The TA may give you an On Board Credit (OBC) as a thank you. Because you can transfer the booking, you really don’t lose anything by booking with Viking first (although they do have a new incentive for repeat Viking customers, similar to booking when onboard a cruise). Viking limits the OBC amount and it is at the discretion of the TA. Viking Air is a hotly debated topic on this board. We use it all the time but we live near two major hubs and have no problem getting the exact fight we want. Others want more control or have a lot of frequent flyer miles and rather DIY. Bear in mind Viking frequently discounts their airfare rather than deep discounting the cruise itself, so if you are looking for a deal, air cost is where you will most likely find it. Also bear in mind that Bergen is a place that is going to require connections, possibly multiple. IMO one big advantage with Viking Air is they take care of transportation to and from the ship, are aware if your flight gets delayed / rescheduled and will make arrangements to get you to the ship in any case. DYI and you are on your own to get to the ship. You might want to consider a pre cruise extension. We always want to arrive before embarkation day. This is especially true in the winter when flights can be severely impacted by weather. If you book an extension with Viking transportation from the airport is included, even if you DYI (must arrive the same day as the extension). Make sure you check out the promo thread, where people post the latest promo codes. Also here is a link to a blog that has lots of great information. https://vikingcruisesreview.blogspot.com/p/design-and-planning.html?m=0

I would think some of the features found on the expedition ships might be included, such as the state of the art 3D projection system, wireless charging on the end tables, and the electronic “Do Not Disturb” system that lights the cabin’s doorbell red, green, or purple to indicate status. (Purple indicates the stateroom is empty)