OneSixtyToOne

On our last cruise, DW had to have her picture taken again when checking in but not me. Maybe the picture she uploaded was out of spec or she changed hairdos. I did notice that when you tap your card to board/unboard your picture appears on their screen and they visually ID you. They want a clear and current picture.

Closest guess yet. You are on the right track with cherries, but no stone fruits are used. Pemberton’s French Wine of Coca, which used a cocaethylene mixture, was the original patent medicine made in an Atlanta drug store that became Coca-Cola. The cocaine was removed because of the alcohol used (prohibition), not the cocaine. Coca-Cola still uses coca leaf for flavoring. The leaf is processed to remove the active ingredient, which is sold to the pharmaceutical industry. Coca-Cola uses a “debuzzed” coca alkaloid from this process for flavoring. Along with cola nut, this is one of the major flavor components of Coca-Coca. Another is the extract from a real bitter orange. Pepsi uses lemons, which is one big reason they taste different. While we are on the topic, DYK 7-Up use to contain lithium citrate, a drug used for treating manic states?

Didn’t see any Diet Coke on our last Viking cruise, although I didn’t ask. All I noticed was Coke Zero in the World Cafe.

One word….Marketing. Although Coke Zero tastes more like Coca-Cola, the word “Diet” has become pejorative with recent generations. When it was introduced, Diet Coke was the most researched, taste-tested new product introduction in the world. It was marketed to get men to drink diet soda. Up until that time, Coca-Cola’s diet drink was Tab. In its magenta can and swimsuit model ad campaign, it was targeted towards women. The Diet Coke rollout featured a pinstripe can and celebrities like John Wayne and Telly Savalas kicking back cans of Diet Coke like it was beer. When we have that drink on a cruise together, I’ll tell you why this all has a direct connection to the “New Coke” fiasco.

Definitely not prunes. Dr. Pepper predates Coca-Cola by one year and was invented in a drugstore in Waco, Texas. At Dr. Pepper HQ they serve hot Dr. Pepper as a coffee substitute.

Wrong on both.

The fridge is stocked with 6 cans of soda (4 browns 2 clears) and two small bottles of mixers. You can ask the steward for whatever you like and they will almost always be able to accommodate you. I replace the tonic with ginger ale which BTW is Schweppes made with real sugar instead of fructose. It’s delicious. I was in the beverage industry for 20 years so allow me to digress. Most of the soft drinks bottled outside the US are non fructose because sugar is cheaper and fructose used in beverages is liquid, which makes it difficult and costly to transport internationally. The US highly subsidizes the corn industry, which is the primary supplier of fructose. BTW If we ever meet on a cruise I’ll tell you the inside story of “New Coke” and the secret ingredient in Dr. Pepper.

Here is a link to a blog about VO cabins as well as cabins to avoid. As far as searching is concerned, most search engines require a minimum number of characters to work properly, otherwise the query may timeout or simply be ignored. Using two characters is not an ideal way to search a database.

We connected in Munich twice last month. Cleared passport control in less than 2 minutes. One of the easiest airports we’ve ever been through.

App is now working.

I just downloaded the new Lufthansa app and it’s down.

Tea for two is a LOT!

Tea is 4:00-500

These are cruise specific and sometimes quirky. For example they served Turkey on our one stop in Turkey. Seems like to there is always a seafood night soon after embarking an overnight port, probably because they can obtain fresh sea food. Italy had Italian night. Crete had Greek cuisine. Just about every night had regional cuisine. Not sure how this plays out on long cruises with a lot of sea days.

Interesting. On our April cruise there is no “Venice on your own,” only the full tours. It appears Viking is not providing and other way to get there.

It was stated that this was dictated by corporate and I assume it’s fleet wide. The 6:45 presentations had to end by 8 although a few went a couple of minutes over and the presenters commented that needed to wrap it up for the dinner crowd. I really think this help decrease the 7:00 PM rush at the restaurant.

I agreed with this back in November because it was the case for our January cruise. However on our upcoming April cruise, DV reservations are currently available, so I believe the situation has been rectified. I'll also note that a schedule change has been imposed by corporate in order to decrease the rush at certain hours for restaurants and afternoon tea. Port talks are at 4:30 PM and lectures at 6:45. We experienced no waits at any dining venues.

No Philly Cheesesteak?

I was on the Sky during the playoffs and they had a party in the pool area at 10:30 PM

1) No. When booking make sure you both scheduled the same times for the excursion. When on board if there is more than one bus / tour guide for that time slot, you can ask to be placed in the same group.

Before upgrading to Air Plus see what is available in MVJ. We were able to change airlines as well as well as depart from a deferent airport than our return, all without Air Plus.

Veranda cannot make ADVANCED reservations. Above Veranda, x advanced reservations can be made. When on board you can make as many as you like, times permitting. Gratuities are included on all drinks, so there is no tipping on board, but many people will personally tip their favorite staff members at the end of the voyage. Depending of your country of booking, other gratuities may be included (UK). For US pax a gratuity is charged per person and is billed when onboard. You can pre-pay but most people don’t because onboard credits can be used for this. If you book another cruise while onboard you’ll get an onboard credit for the current cruise. If you book through a TA or have the booking transferred to them, they may be able to issue an OBC. Other than spa and salon services, there are no other charges. Using the spa facilities is free BTW. Coffee and tea are available 24/7 in the World Cafe. Room service is also 24/7 at no additional charge. Every room has a fridge stocked with soft drinks and mixers, which you can ask the steward to customize to your liking. Above V class they are replenished daily. Higher class rooms also have liquor replenished daily. Also you can BYOB and there is no corking charge. Without the SSP, beer and wine is available without additional charge at meals. You can always top off your glass and take it with you to one of the many lounges.

Pay as you go and it’s also faster if you use EFT since you can pre-enter the info. I was in the middle of our Tuscany post extension when our slot opened for our next cruise. It was 9:00 PM and was concerned (DV cabin) but I was able to book everything in about 10 minutes by paying for each high demand excursions first, then went back and did the included tours. Plan the work, work the plan.

Interesting. We are on the Sky on April 2nd. Have heard nothing about a port change since November. Cruisemapper is listing Marghera as one of the Sky’s home ports. Can anyone who recently has sailed in/out of Venice on Viking tell us where you docked?

Today’s mail Great Lakes Promo GLS23 Longitudinal World Cruse: EBD