OneSixtyToOne

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 I’d heard board members complain about ADA costs and requirements and many wished it never happened and wanted it repealed.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.

We did the Sydney Harbor Bridge Climb when we were there independently. Definitely a once in a lifetime experience. https://www.bridgeclimb.com/climb-the-iconic-sydney-harbour-bridge?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rHZNR0i-JhyBcOju_fVEcRr564l0g3kZIswOa-BuHEyEQKkHPs3yuxoCkZwQAvD_BwE&code=usd

There is a small retractable roof but unless you are sailing in the tropics I doubt it is ever open. Calling it a “pool” is generous, the one in the spa is much larger. It connects to the outside where there are hot and cold plunge pools on either side. I never saw anyone using it. It’s more of a stairway to the outside.

Telephone is only for this promo because you have to have an existing booking to use it. All other promo codes are supported on the website. If you have a current booking, there is a link in MVJ that can be used to get the same deal without using a telephone. They don’t want randos trying to use the code.

Actually the OP wants a non-stop flight on a cruise that offers “free air” and they want to know if they can be guaranteed a non-stop if they pay additional fees to Viking (air plus / deviation), hence the thread drift.

This promo is for those with a current booking.

Indeed, nothing has changed. However, Viking regularly markets combinations of free or reduced air, complimentary SSBP, level cabin pricing (DV at V price), double previous guest discounts, OBCs, etc. One combo might attract a different customer base than another, so their promotions change over time for a sailing in an attempt to sail at maximum capacity. I’ve tracked the promotions of the cruises I’ve booked and when you work out the net price of different promotions, the result is usually similar. Yes, air is always a separate line item, but you might find a promo where air is not free and SSBP is thrown in, etc. When you cost it out, the net price may be similar, my point being the accountants are charging marketing discounts to different line items. Viking will never eliminate the air fare line item because without it people would ask for a “no air” discount.

Others have posted on this forum that they reserved a hotel room for one or two nights. Seeing Venice at night after the tourists have left is magical. As a side note, when we docked at Chioggia, we were told that it can only handle one ship at a time. That is why you’ll see some sailings docking there and some in Fusina. Fusina is an industrial port and you need to be shuttled in and out. They drop you off at the old cruise terminal in Venice. Large ships are now banned from entering the lagoon. The local Italian tour guides told us how lucky we were to be in Chioggia instead of what they call “the ugly place.” The downside is that Chioggia is very far away.

Fair point. I guess I should not have used “never.” I was attempting (rather poorly it turns out) to emphasize you may be throwing money away because, in recent years, MVJ has been revamped to allow you make your own modifications to flights without having to purchase Air Plus. If however you have very specific needs then only you can decide if it’s worth the extra cost. Deviation is another matter. If you plan to arrive before your departure day and do not have pre-extension booked then the deviation fee is required for using Viking Air. It however doesn’t guarantee you’ll get exactly what flight you want. There also have been postings about people insisting on a particular flight or airline and additional costs over and above the fee were incurred because Viking had to acquire tickets on the open market. As the saying goes “ the cheap is sometimes expensive.”

Not necessarily. Viking Air doesn’t work for everyone. They have contracts with some air carriers so their inventory of available seats is not the same as you can find doing a search online. Paying the extra fees doesn’t necessarily mean you will get exactly what you want. If your requirements are that specific you should first see what the cost will be if you booked it yourself. Free Air can sometimes be expensive. We use Viking Air all the time but I live relatively close to 2 major airports and can usually find flights that are acceptable. If you do use Viking Air, never purchase Air Plus until you see what Viking has booked. Without it I’ve been able to change my carrier and my airport without the additional costs. If it doesn’t work out, then it is the time to inquire about Air Plus and deviation fees.

We also received an email and letter about the deal that contained that language but this promo was in a message in MVJ that I never saw before. It explicitly states you can book from the website and it has a link. I tried the link and it indeed had the code pre populated on the booking page.

It’s a complex question above my pay grade. I suggest contacting the folks at the Trip Insurance Store. They can answer your question as they did mine. I believe the minimum coverage is for $1000 and is sold in $1000 increments. You need to insure whatever your initial out of pocket cost was. Ours was only $50 but I had to buy the minimum (1K of coverage) to ensure pre-existing coverage. You can also purchase optional CFAR (Cancel for any reason) that will cover any out of pocket loss. It tends to be expensive (30% of the trip?) and the standard coverage cancellation reasons are fine for us. There are also other optional coverage items like increased baggage coverage, increased medical, rental car, etc.

Curious if you were able to book your excursions with no issues.

Even with preexisting conditions you can find plans to insure you for that if you just buy a minimum amount to cover the deposit and then increase coverage once you pay the balance. We did this for our Japan trip next year. All you need to do is take out coverage within X days of your initial payment and you are covered. The minimum coverage cost us about $100 so if we need to cancel, we only lose that. Check out the explainer at TheTripInsuranceStore

I clicked on the link in MVJ and it populated the promo code in the booking screen. Maybe the link is required.

They will also extend the payment date if you book another cruise in the interim. We had no plans to sail in 2024 but had a booking for late 2025 that we made late last year. When a great deal came up this year we called and got our 2025 cruise payment moved from June of this year to 6 months out and booked a 2024 cruise for this August.

We have had the SSP included twice and even then only had wine at lunch less than half the time. Wine and a meal before an afternoon excursion and I’d be sleeping on the bus. Prefer to be caffeinated.

For some reason I decided to prepay in December ‘22 for a January ‘23 cruise. Viking increased the gratuities and SSP price in January’23 so we actually saved money by accident. Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds an acorn.

The tour of the town was on a Sunday morning and I remember at the end having to wait outside the Vinothek for a few minutes. We had time to visit the chapel of the old hospital then we entered Vinothek and had a short orientation, were given a glass, and let loose in the cellar. We didn’t feel rushed, sampled several wines, and walked back to the ship unattended in time for departure. Maybe they have changed their departure time or maybe it was a special opening time. I’m not sure.

Do you lose any tripmate insurance you might have purchased? I thought I’ve read that is not transferable.