CurlerRob

I recommend you review the Viking FAQs regarding disabilities and wheelchairs. They require you to advise them of your needs and you may need to complete Fit to Travel / Accessibility forms as appropriate. "Don't ask - bring what you need" might work out fine. It might also result in you being denied boarding. Ignoring cruise line terms and rules is never a good idea. 🍺🥌

tellus@vikingcruises.com is an excellent resource for questions - this one would be a good fit. 🍺🥌

We sailed Oceania Insignia last November and like you, have Viking experience. We found that the two lines had very different strengths and weaknesses, but overall they provided a similar, quality experience. We would sail either again. We actually commented that Oceania reminded us fondly of Holland America from many years ago, when HAL ships were small and they had not been "Carnivalized" into the mass market. We have no experience yet with SB or Silversea, but I confess that my expectations for either line would be set quite a bit higher than either Viking or Oceania - as befits the normal pricing seen from them (congrats on the SB sale). 🍺🥌

Interesting question. The Octantis 360 tour ( https://www.vikingcruises.com/expeditions/content/expeditions-360/start.html ) confirms that the Zodiacs, sub and kayaks are stored aft in the Hangar, so it's not them, if you're concerned about noise. The deck plan is not informative, but I would expect the galley to be aft of the restaurant and Manfredi's. So, my bet would be crew quarters / space - but I've not been aboard so it's a pure guess. Hopefully a past pax will know the answer. 🍺🥌

I have no personal experience, but I recall reading posts from others that stated the refund time was not different between ACH and CC payments. As always, YMMV! 🍺🥌

There's no single formula that will cover this - it's a function of how many points your credit card gives you per dollar and what the redemption value is. As well, items like credit card protection would figure in. However, in just looking at the dollar value, this may help: Viking echeck provides a discount of 3.3%. That's the break-even point. If your CC provides a cash back rate that is more than 3.3%, it would be preferable to use it. I've never seen cash back anywhere near that level, but it may be out there. Regarding points, you need to calculate what the equivalent cash value of your points is. I do this by looking at the retail cost of something I want to buy (like airfare), then divide it by the number of points needed for the purchase. That will give you a cents / point number. Multiply by the ratio of points accumulated per dollar spend (example 1:1 or 2:1). If it's over 3.3, you win! FWIW, most airline points redemptions I see work out to be in the 1.5 - 2.4 cents per point range - below the echeck return. Hope that helps. 🍺🥌

Only in the World Café. In other venues, no. From Viking's FAQ: What is the dress code? During the day, dress is casual including shorts (if the season is warm), slacks or jeans and comfortable shoes for walking tours. Swimsuits, brief shorts, cover-ups and exercise attire should be reserved for the Fitness Center, pool areas and Sports Deck. There are no “formal nights” in the evening; evening dress is “elegant casual” for all dining venues, performances and special events. On these occasions, required attire for ladies includes a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional; jeans are not permitted. The evening dress excludes World Café where the dress remains casual after 6:00 PM. 🍺🥌

Your photo looks like Longyearbyen - was that the case? Mine was from Ny-Ålesund - we did not see any of the official signs there, but may have missed one (it's a very small town, largely for research), but there were multiples of the sign I posted set up to corral pax. We also had armed guards around the walking area that circled the town. The law itself is a bit more wishy-washy than you mentioned - it states "Due to the polar bear threat on Svalbard, anyone travelling outside the settlements must be equipped with suitable means of scaring off polar bears. The office of the Governor of Svalbard also recommends carrying firearms with you". In practical terms, you are quite correct that they mean it and no-one in their right mind would rely on simply "scaring off" the apex Arctic predator. I suspect the formal wording is to accommodate the fact that other laws strongly protect the species and bears can only be killed as a last resort. 🍺🥌

Ny-Ålesund. 🍺🥌

From a careful measurement of my deck plans, it appears to be above the men's washroom. 🍺🥌

There are direct flights between KEF and BGO, but I believe they are limited to the summer months - June to August, if I recall correctly. The rest of the year you will route via OSL or CPH. They do offer Saga class on those flights (unless, as happened to us, an unexpected equipment change had no Saga class seats - that was due to the grounding of the 737 Max). 🍺🥌

You'll have an interesting trip, visiting quite a number of high latitude "off the track" places. The only unfortunate thing about your agenda is that you will not transit Prins Christianssund on the southeast corner of Greenland. It's one of the more spectacular fjords on the planet. Enjoy your trip! 🍺🥌

It's odd how things work. We are 0 for 3 in tries for the Shetlands, which we would love to see - but 2 for 2 regarding the Faroes, which is very fortunate, as they are spectacular. Best of luck on your BIE! 🍺🥌

I do not have any referenceable statistics for you, as a number of Google queries did not help, but I have been watching various boards re Antarctica for a number of years now. Here's what I've observed - YMMV: I have yet to see a single cruise that failed to put pax ashore on the continent at least once. While I suspect full cancellations may have happened due to illness or mechanical issues, I have not seen a report of a weather situation that precluded a ship from any landings. (This is NOT to say that there may have been many pax who could care less if the Drake crossing was severe enough!). Once across the Drake, the Antarctic peninsula offers so many places to shelter that I'd be astonished if landings could not happen at sometime over the 'x' days the ship is there. There may not be the number of opportunities desired, or the use of many of the 'toys' such as kayaks, but I believe the odds of completely striking out are very small. Landing at ports like the Falklands or South Georgia appears to be at very high risk of not happening - my unofficial count is about a 50% make rate. In some ways, this is similar to ports like the Shetlands and Faroes - both of which are susceptible to the same type of weather issues. Finally, regarding the podcaster you mentioned, that sounds like he was trying to fly in - either as an excursion or as a pre-programmed way to miss the joys of the Drake. Flying in that part of the world is at extremely high risk of cancellation. I'd never bet my own access to the continent on an aircraft. I'll be interested to see if someone else has some more definitive answers, but personally, I would not worry too much about a shut-out if on a purposeful expedition cruise. 🍺🥌

My guess is that you will not be disappointed. We tried Viking in late 2019 after more than 300 days on HAL and were totally impressed by the quality of the Viking experience. If you ever sailed on HAL's Prinsendam, Viking was that kind of quality and atmosphere, but hugely modernized. We made multiple new bookings, but then ... well, everyone knows! This December, we will finally be able to sail Viking again and be in a position to evaluate what, if any changes have taken place. Have a teriffic cruise! 🍺🥌

Weather is so unpredictable that I'm not sure direction would matter too much regarding seas. However, the anti-clockwise route will have the prevailing westerly winds on your stern as you transit the southern part of Oz. You're still well north of the southern ocean (and it's violence) but having the prevailing winds on the stern will tend to provide a smoother, albeit more "roller coaster" ride if it brews up. Our trip was anti-clockwise, with generally good weather, so I don't have a definitive opinion to share. Enjoy it either way - it's a great trip! 🍺🥌

Or "pax" who even vaguely resemble us ... 🍺🥌

In scanning this thread, there seems to be a wide variety of increases, with some targeted to specific itineraries. My examples: Hawaiian Islands Sojourn in December/23 - no change to a PV2 cabin (old booking). April/24 Far East & Alaska - +3.8% to a DV2 (also an old booking). @millybess identified a 17% kicker for the same cruise - they obviously have a much better cabin, or were able to get a much better deal than I did originally 🙄 - good on them! 🍺🥌

Nope - that's a commonly held misconception, sometimes reinforced by inaccurate information from cruise line reps. See my post #42 for some examples. Or, if you prefer the painful language, check out item 15d in the pax ticket contract - like all cruise lines, there is zero guarantee that you will not have to be left behind. 🍺🥌

Just for new cruisers - they will try to wait, but it's not always possible. There may be tidal requirements, port deadlines or impending weather issues, any of which may force the ship to leave cruise line excursion pax behind. The upside is that the cruise line will do all it can to reunite you with the ship, but that may be a bit of an adventure as well! Greatly enjoying your detailed and measured impressions ... thank you! 🍺🥌

A perfect storm ... although good to hear that it came back to life! 🍺🥌

That about sums up our experiences 🤬. Still love the city / country! 🍺🥌

This does not help with your current situation, but many posters have commented on the value of Apple AirTags or the android equivalent. Many folks have been able to tell the searchers exactly where the luggage is, no matter what the various carriers think. I have been very impressed with my ability to 'follow' my luggage when travelling, although I have not had to put it to the acid test (yet ...). Sorry for your travails this time and I hope it resolves successfully - perhaps worth a look for your next trip. 🍺🥌

Not to worry - you're only crossing 1/2 the Atlantic (Reykjavik) so not too small. 😈 FWIW, we have always found Saga class an excellent value - will be interested to hear your views. 🍺🥌

I may be mistaken, but was under the impression that UK pax paid a significantly higher non-refundable deposit (~25% ?). I ask because I'd view that as more onerous than NA deposit terms and a noticeable price for increased consumer protection. (I recognize that many areas of the cruise contract differ between NA, the UK and Oz, not just that one). 🍺🥌