OneSixtyToOne

If traveling in the EU you’ll get an entry stamp and an exit stamp, even then some entry is automated and there are no longer stamps. Also our last time entering the UK it was automated and there were no stamps.

Last summer we took the London Walks tour of the British Museum. We had visited before but the tour guide really did a great job showing us the highlights and telling marvelous stories about the museum itself that I never knew. We’ve taken at least 10 of their tours over many visits and we highly recommend them.

Chile required everyone to go through agricultural inspection when leaving the ship. if you ever drive cross country into California they do the same. It’s to protect the agriculture industry from invasive insects.

Agree. Specially restaurants are overrated. We tend to dine at the World Cafe. With port talks, enrichment lectures, trivia, shows, etc. we prefer to be on our own schedule, not at the mercy of the waitstaff servicing us in a timely manner. On our expedition cruise we cancelled both night’s advanced reservations because the World Cafe was the best food we have had at sea.

For what it’s worth every time we pre-booked dining reservations they have ALWAYS opened early. I think there is something wrong with how they are calculating times (daylight savings vs non-daylight saving, GMT, or something else.) On the other hand, I have found that excursions always open exactly on time. There is a disconnect somewhere, possible because dining is directly hooked into the ship’s reservation system? The ship’s system and the website system don’t always sych up. Once we boarded and they had no record of our reservations. I was told there are issues between them. Always check your reservations when you board.

I don’t believe Warren Buffett has ever invested in an IPO. He looks for a proven track record for a company and buys when he considers it undervalued and always holds it for the long term. Here is his view of IPOs: “They found that the two-thirds of the companies failed to generate sufficient earnings to justify day one stock price.” https://acquirersmultiple.com/2023/08/warren-buffett-why-ipos-can-be-painful-for-investors/

IMO off season Mediterranean is the perfect time to go and these deals are really good. Temperatures in the high 50s low 60s are ideal for excursions. We took the Journey to Antiquities last Jan-Feb any absolutely loved it. Our tour guide in Athens explained how in the summer you can’t stay on the Acropolis for more than a few minutes. We had a few days of rain but we dealt with it. It was much better than dealing with 90-100 degree heat without shade. In some ports we were the only ship docking. Minimal crowds are a big plus in my book.

In general, no. They are always exceptions. However you must reserve your included excursions in advance. You can't just expect to arrive on the ship on the first day and get a seat. Viking needs to schedule the resources needed to handle everyone who signed up. I've read on other websites that some people didn't know they needed to reserve their included excursions and complained when there wasn't room.

I wrote this in another thread. Viking is Norwegian flagged and Norway / EU does have the equivalent of the ADA. If a ship docks in US waters, it must comply. There is however a broad exemption that anything that interferes with ship safety is exempt.

A good 2nd day

We visited Monet’s garden on a Viking River cruise and arrived right at opening. We had a great guide and she took us right to the pond before anyone else arrived.

It appears that presently the discount is “baked in” the price. If you go to the website the “Spring Sale” with “reduced air” banner appears without any promo code. This late in the year additional 2024 discounts seem unlikely unless some sailings are undersold.

We took a variation of this cruise (Copenhagen instead of Bergen) and most of the time there is no view of land. You are mostly sailing at night, even when passing Gibraltar. The long sea day is the Bay of Biscay, where you are far from land and in many cases rough seas. The only segment that had a real view was in the English Channel and you have a great view in the Explorer’s Lounge. BTW the Bay of Biscay can have very rough seas, some of the roughest we’ve encountered on any Viking itinerary. Many people were seasick so be prepared with whatever your preferred remedy is.

That is probably proprietary information they don’t divulge. Personally I’ve flown with Viking Air on One World Alliance, Star Alliance, and Skyteam affiliated airlines. Google those for a list. Not every airline might be covered. On our next trip we are on Delta, SAS, and United. Previously it’s been Lufthansa, KLM, Air Canada, and American.

This is a repositioning cruise. After this cruise, the Neptune heads down the eastern seaboard, through the Panama Canal, and is the Pacific for 2025. If you’re asking why the demand is low for this itinerary, it might be the number of sea days in a cold climate and the perception that the ports of call are not exactly major tourist stops. Also Viking is now sailing its expedition ships to Greenland. That might have more appeal. IMO it’s more suited to an expedition cruise. We are on an Iceland to Bergen cruise, and there are other Iceland cruises that for me offer a better itinerary.

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Lots of thread drift here. The OP is asking about non-stop flights to Ft. Lauderdale but they don’t say where they are flying out of. Doing a few google searches, it appears that only a few major airports have scheduled non-stops going there. A lot of flights are by budget carriers like Southwest, Spirit and Jet Blue which Viking does not have contracts with. Delta, American, etc. seem to show a lot more non-stops to Miami. Those carriers have major hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, and Chicago, and most of the random routes I’ve tried involve a plane change at a hub.

Your safest bet is to load the airline apps for the carriers your flights are on. They will give you the latest information. Some airline apps give you important information on the day of your flight like gate changes and luggage tracking. Also some airlines aren’t integrated into Viking’s system and their app or webpage is the only way to change seats. On our last European trip, one carrier would not assign seats until the day of the flight unless you paid an additional fee. (This is becoming more common) The only way to get an advance seat was through the airline’s app/website.

They do on Viking River. On our cruise last January on VO, we received a letter saying they were implementing a pilot program of “leisurely” walkers. I do not know if this was rolled out fleet wide.

Their ships are Norwegian flagged so that is probably what applies. I’m also sure they are fully compliant to whatever the legal requirements are although it might not be up to your wishes. They do provide ADA accommodations, probably in the same way as a store has two disabled parking spaces. There is some formula and they comply. I’m sure there is no requirement for them to provide accommodation in their lowest priced cabin class. EDIT: I came across this on a legal website. It’s a catch all: “Foreign ships must also follow international maritime laws and guidelines. If a foreign ship’s obedience to the ADA would violate some other obligation or threaten ship safety, it is permitted to violate ADA requirements.”

No, but every business attempts to control costs. Don’t conflate a financial decision with blatant discrimination. And since you brought up “my way of thinking” I feel compelled to reply. One of my closest friends, who is now deceased, was in a wheelchair since he was a child. I’ve seen through his experiences what it was like before the ADA was passed and what it has been like after passage. Before the ADA, he moved to a city that was very progressive with respect to assisted living. A support structure was created to help people who had special needs. It became a magnet for the disabled and guess what? Businesses responded by installing ramps, modified rest rooms, etc. Why? Because it made business sense. It was not because of altruism. There was now a customer base to justify infrastructure modifications. They needed no law to tell them to do this. With the passage of the ADA (which I enthusiastically supported) businesses had no choice but to comply with the law. Building codes around the country were changed to accommodate the law. If not for the ADA businesses and organizations had little incentive to change anything. Personally, I’ve been involved in budget discussions concerning making a venue ADA compliant. I’d heard board members complain about ADA costs and requirements and many wished it never happened and wanted it repealed. When you hear people taking about “over regulation,” the ADA is one of the things in their sights. Believe me when I say if it wasn’t a statutory requirement you’ve be living in the 1950s right now. As far as cruise lines are concerned, my friend went on to become a travel agent later in life. He traveled internationally several times. He required a special wheelchair and special batteries to fly on a plane. One time in Japan he visited a temple and there was a commotion when he entered. A team of women rushed out and started scrubbing down his tires before they allowed him to enter. He never took a cruise. He said if there was an emergency onboard, he would fear for his life. He often quoted Dirty Harry, “You got to know your limitations.”

Because they can.

It’s highly likely it is a cost and liability issue. A CEO once told me “There is some business that you walk away from.”

All of the glass on the sides of the terrace are actually doors that can be opened. I suppose they can be left open or maybe they are on a track to allow the entire terrace to be open. In any case enjoy your trip. The ship is beautiful. BTW the theater has a state of the art million $ 3D projection system, the best I’ve ever experienced. Be sure to go to any 3D movie presentation. It’s pretty phenomenal.