lackcreativity

Our first cruise post pandemic cruise in April still had most of the  covid related measures in place. We were both willing and happy to comply.

However, I think that ship has sailed and there is no putting that horse back in the barn. (Do I get extra credit for two cliches in one sentence?)

Even on our cruise, there was limited but constant pushback against even common sense measures. Wearing masks on buses was required, but it seemed that on every excursion, there were a few who would not cooperate. Generally, those individuals would put their masks on to get past the Viking staff, and then remove them as soon as they were seated.

For better or worse, society at large seems to have decided that we are in the "just will have to live with it". Even here on Cruise Critic, we hear from those who wouldn't cruise when there were restrictions, and now some will make the opposite decision. 

We were grateful for the level of precautions when we sailed back in April. We don't cruise again until June 2023. I wonder where we will be at that point.

Might not work at all, since I can't envision what is actually required of the device, but could you use one of the oversized Viking umbrellas? They are longer than two feet, but they are readily accessible.

4 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

  On 7/5/2022 at 11:13 PM, lackcreativity said:

We just did Barcelona to Venice in April, a 15 day cruise (a really great trip, by the way).

Isn't that one "Trade Routes of the Middle Ages"?  Or else very similar. We could have done that following the end of the Chairman's cruise, but having done both pre and post extensions, it would have gotten a bit long 

Trade Routes of the Middle Ages goes in the other direction from Barcelona, hitting additional ports in Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, etc. and ending in Bergen Norway. It, too, is a really great trip, which I know since we did that one four years ago!

2 hours ago, AnyWayIsGood said:

Is that the Athens to Barcelona that you have listed?  Have to check that one out, though 21 days on a ship is a bit long for me. We just did one that ended in Barcelona back in May. 

Viking does a variety of Mediterranean cruises, with a fair bit of repetition of ports in assorted variations. Basically, though, there are four 7 day itineraries that go all the way from Barcelona to Istanbul. There is Barcelona to Rome, Rome to "Venice", "Venice" to Athens, and then Athens to Istanbul. You can do them individually, or combine consecutive segments.

We just did Barcelona to Venice in April, a 15 day cruise (a really great trip, by the way). We are completing the rest of the voyage (15 days from Venice to Istanbul) next year. Two weeks seems to be a good time frame for us.

23 hours ago, Azulann said:

 My next Viking cruise is not till 2023 so your food pictures will just have to do for many months! 
look forward to you next Viking trip report!

We have recently rescheduled this cruise (along with the Athens to "Venice" leg) for fall of 2023 for happy family reasons. I too have been hanging on every word/photo from this review. Maybe by then the airlines will have caught up with our desire to travel again!

Thanks, Sleep7.

Love what a collaborative group gathers here! I didn't think to propose  the #3 slot "Wish They Would Create", so thanks to Dukefan for that. Undecided what my number three would be, could be Spain or maybe New Orleans (would there be beignets ?!?). Maybe I need to wait and see what other options pop up.

Much of the information regarding pre/post extensions and even shore excursions is available right on the Viking website. Go to your planned cruise, on the itinerary tab, scroll all the way down and click on any of the extensions. There will be a pretty complete description. Some of the extensions are bare bones, with just the hotel, transfers, maybe breakfast, and an on-site Viking host to assist. Others are fully escorted land tours. The Tuscany extension is the full guided kind, and reportedly an exceptional experience. I hope we get to do that one someday. 

In a similar fashion, if you click on any individual day of the itinerary, you can see the possible group of excursions that may be offered on your cruise. One will be labeled as the Included (no extra charge) one. If you click on any individual one, you will see a full description (read carefully, especially since experiences vary widely) along with the length of time, but not the price. Note that this list is just a group of possibilities, as post-covid, most places are still scrambling to restaff excursions. One more hint, be aware that when Viking says an Included Excursion in every port, they mean that literally. If you are in port overnight, you still only get one free excursion.

Even after four cruises so far and two more booked, I still browse the website often just for fun. ( I know, might be a little weird.) There is so much available there, and many of the videos about the different ports are really interesting.

Hope you enjoy your first Viking cruise.

P.S. We have been to a few of these ports and will travel from Istanbul to Venice in October 2023. Taormina in Sicily is a definite can't miss for me, and in Athens, going up to the Acropolis (if agility allows) is also a must.   

Once we have all 21 finalized, perhaps we should start a tally of

#1. Personal Favorite (So Far)

#2. Top of Wish List

Note that I am not volunteering for the task, just curious. My Choices: 

#1 Sweet and Salty

#2 Indian

8 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

Duh. Now I understand why it didn’t seem to include a curry or three! It’s been so long since we had the menu that I didn’t recognize the pictures. 

Yes, I think the focus is on flavors based on the history of the  spice trade. We did enjoy it. I would certainly sign up for a Viking's Chef's Table version of Indian food! Viking, are you listening? 

Thanks for the information. Since I usually focus on Viking Ocean, I would not likely have seen this. Not sure if I will go ahead, but this has been on my wish list for quite a while.

2 hours ago, Poulsbo Cruisers said:

We are taking our first Viking Ocean cruise in September. We are looking forward to it. No, I don’t like Viking’s early payment policy, but we were well aware of it when we booked. I wouldn’t rate them of lower quality because of it. This early payment policy may keep us from sailing Viking in the future, only time will tell. 

Do keep in mind that for a cruise booked while on the ship, Viking will agree to a six month final payment date. This is also true when you already have one cruise booked, then you can book another and request the six month payment date ( no need to be onboard for this one).

Be sure to ask for the six month option, since they don't always offer it to you. Once you have booked, they generally will not change the final payment date. 

If you like Viking as much as we do, you may wish to book another while on your first cruise!

16 hours ago, jakeHOU97 said:

We’re looking at the 7 (or 8?) day from Rome to Barcelona. We’d get to see the Italian Riviera, southern coast of France and Spain, which we wouldn’t if we did one of the land trips we’re looking at. However this cruise obviously wouldn’t take us to Paris or London like the land trip would.

 

As has already been stressed, only you can decide if Viking sounds like a good fit for you now, or rather for a cruise to celebrate your 25th anniversary! If you do decide on the cruise mentioned above, you might consider adding on an extension at the beginning or end (or both), since both Barcelona and Rome deserve much more than a day. The Viking extensions make things very convenient, but you could probably do either one for less money on your own.

Also, if you do that cruise, I highly recommend the Nice, Eze, and Monte Carlo all day excursion. It is a whirlwind day, with not enough time anywhere, but I still dream of the view from the Exotic Garden at the top of  Eze. 

What ever you choose, wishing you all the best.

18 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Age is a mindset.  Baseball great Satchel Paige, when asked his age, responded, "How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?"

A great question! What happens when your mind thinks you're one age, but your body has a different opinion? 😉

4 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

On the practical side, that's one good reason to pack a complete change of clothing, or at least clean undies, in your carry on  -- along with ALL of your expensive electronics and ALL the meds you will need for the entire trip and maybe a bathing suit.

I could live without a bathing suit, but every time we set out on another adventure I am amazed how much I can actually fit in my small carry on. I wear a pair of jeans, and stash spare tops, black dress pants, and a couple tunics along with some undergarments in the carryon. Throw in the meds and camera, squish in a pair of ballet flats, and I could manage for  a while. People might wonder why I was wearing the same clothes every other day, but I would not have to confine myself to quarters. 

I have my friends here on Cruise Critic to thank for that advice, and I didn't even have to learn it the hard way!

Liz,

Tell your friend I hope I get to travel with her one day. I would be happy to buy her a drink! I am sure she would be a pleasure to spend time with.

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

Nope not joking.🥃

Sigh.  

22 minutes ago, Jim Avery said:

Bathrobe and slippers are in for the World Cafe.😳🍸

You may have been joking here, but I did see that with my own eyes on our one cruise post covid. I was truly disappointed. That crossed a line I had never imagined being crossed.

1 hour ago, Ontario/AZ said:

We have taken many Viking Ocean cruises before COVID.  I agree that many folks do not seem that friendly.  Many were seniors and my husband and I are 72 and 73 but we are still friendly and chat, etc.  I guess it is each to their own.  

Just curious, are you saying that even during your cruises before Covid you found that many people were not that friendly? That surprises me. On our previous cruises I found people generally very friendly and easy to strike up a conversation with at a nearby table or on an excursion.

We might often be the first ones to start a conversation, or even offer seats at our table to someone wandering through a somewhat crowded World Cafe. We have made a few travel buddies that way. I look forward to people warming up as time goes by and Covid becomes something we live with  more easily.

There was also the debate over wine glasses ( with or without stems) and don't get me started on the firestorm over how water glasses should be place on the World Cafe placemats (up or down).

On our first post Covid cruise in April, I must admit there was a somewhat different vibe from our previous cruises. One member of the couple we befriended from Australia seemed to hit the nail on the head when she asked at dinner one night, "Why do people seem so grouchy?" She noted that a lot of people just weren't smiling very much. I can't say she was wrong in her observation. 

We personally were delighted with our trip, but I will acknowledge that it was a lot more stressful than previous trips. So many more things to do to prepare than normal and so many more things that could go wrong, but that did not keep us from having a good time. However, I was aware of those issues. There was even an undercurrent of some who were unhappy with the level of precautions that were required, and some were unhappy with the ignoring of rules by others.

Being away from cruising, that so many of us love, may have left some people with unreasonable expectations upon their return. In the broader aspect, how many of us have seen behavior out in public lately very much out of proportion to the problem at hand? It is as if the two years of pandemic restrictions have left such frustration that some have forgotten how to behave. 

Sorry, rant over!

Glenr, this was not a very gracious welcome to your post about your first Viking cruise. It just seemed that you were touching on something that has been on my mind since our return. 

Please give us another chance. Hopefully we will find our way back to happier times!

6 hours ago, Flgreg said:

Thanks. I saw an earlier post indicating Verifly is optional, not required. Anyone able to confirm?

 

Thanks.

We sailed in April, at which point Verifly was deemed required, but in actuality not used as much as expected. Once set up, Verifly was easy to use with groups like British Airways and Viking who were set up to process just with a scan of your QR code.

We did bring our original cards too just in case. As things are changing rapidly at the moment, I wouldn't know what advice to give for future cruises.

54 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

Another thing to consider. Politically, this may be a good time to be visiting Turkey, while it is possible. Viking had pulled out of there in 2016 and I think were just starting to return in 2020. Should things become unpredictable there again, Viking will not hesitate to change its plans. If Turkey is on your bucket, I say see it while you can.

 

 

We were scheduled to go there in 2016, but as you indicated, the itinerary was altered. We lost a second chance during Covid, and now have pushed our October 2022 booked cruise forward to 2023 to be here for the birth of our first grandchild (!). Politically, I do hope things hold together, but I am starting to wonder if Istanbul just may not be in the cards for us. Fingers remain crossed, for multiple reasons!!

While this is a new itinerary, Viking has been visiting about half of these ports for a number of years (Athens, Rhodes, Kusadasi, Santorini, and Crete). That leaves you with really only three brand new ports. The potential shore excursions for the three new ports sound satisfactory. It's a bit of a gamble, but personally, it is a risk I would be willing to take! 

Best wishes to all who are traveling on this reunion tour! May you enjoy every single minute of your trip.

On a side note, this is the first time I have seen the itinerary listed. I dearly hope that Viking may be planning to introduce this as a new itinerary on a regular basis. It would certainly be the next one I would book! 

Thanks everyone. This does not surprise me, as the published O-fares seamed reasonable, and I couldn't really believe that those were then 2 for 1. There are a number of interesting itineraries that would suit us, so hope to see you on board one day!