On 7/23/2024 at 9:52 AM, exeter_acres said:

Hello...  just booked on Insignia for this coming Dec.   PH2

Was last one available.....

Broke my rule as it is a connecting room...

Anyone have negative experience with connecting rooms and pass through noise?

 

Thanks

A connecting room, whether cruise ship or hotel, will always permit more noise transmission - simply due to the lack of a contiguous, insulated wall. I avoid them when possible in order to tilt the odds slightly in my favour.

In the end, your comfort level will ultimately be a function of your neighbour's behaviour and your sensitivity to sound. 🍺🥌

2 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

4. There's one that is Iceland and Norway as well, but I'd rather see London or Denmark than Iceland.

You have been receiving information already from very knowledgeable Viking cruisers. If your reference in #4 is to the Iceland & Norway’s Arctic Explorer trip, I would strongly encourage your to consider it. If your major interest is in fjords and spectacular coastal scenery, this cruise provides a full dose of that during the Norway mainland segment (similar to the Midnight Sun trip). It also includes Svalbard - a location that is far north and which very few people will ever visit. Longyearbyen is just over 800 miles from the North Pole. As well, Iceland is otherworldly and not to be missed.

If you take the Bergen to Reykjavik route, you will be halfway home at the end of the cruise.

With any fjord cruise , London will be worlds apart from the rest of the cruise. If you'd like to see it, I'd suggest #4, but fly into London a few days early and explore that wonderful city. Flights from London to Bergen are easy.

The only other item I noticed was that your recent history appears to have been on large ships. While those of us who frequent Viking like the much smaller size, it's a very different experience, and I encourage you to browse a number of the Viking threads to understand the changes inherent in a smaller ship.

And just one fjord pic to whet your appetite ... 🍺🥌

5 minutes ago, stretchcruz said:

 

Thanks. I'm looking forward to the trip. Flight not until 2:30. Then flight back to Tucson 10:30. Airport time!

Unfortunately, you may not have much time to relax at EZE - a number of posters have indicated that it's a very lengthy process to get through the check-in and security lines. Just overall congestion and lack of efficiency. I think overall times in excess of 3 hours have been mentioned as common. 🍺🥌

3 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

Thank you so much. I'll cross my fingers. It's a long flight. Looks like we'll be hanging at the airport for a long time as well.

EZE to USH is about 3:30 in duration - not so bad. If the weather is decent, the scenery is great from the air. Enjoy! 🍺🥌

5 hours ago, Travelingwithstyle said:

This is wonderful but if you are comfortable, can you please share what cabin/category and what price you paid.  We really want to do an expedition but the code only takes a couple USD off per person....still too expensive in MHO.    Thank you for any info.   So grateful for this roll call.  Thank you to all that post codes.   

I prefer not to share the specific details and I don't think they would be relevant in any case - but in looking at your comment that the offer code "only takes a couple USD off per person", I was curious enough to go back and look at the offer code impact on a number of Antarctic cruises.

I discovered that both the original cruise price and the level of offer savings is highly dependent on two factors (as always): the voyage date and the cabin class. What surprised me was the degree to which pricing changed depending on both factors. Looking at various combinations yielded cruise prices that varied by many thousands of dollars pp, depending on the choices you make.

For example, one cruise I tested shows significant reductions across all cabin classes when using the code for a January/25 sailing - but those reduced prices are identical to the base prices for the same trip in Nov/25 - the code does nothing for the Nov trip. In this example, timing is the controlling factor. Other trips were quite different in how they played out.

I presume you've done a mock booking in order to make the statement about limited savings. If  you want to see the impact of the offer code, do the mock booking including the offer code, pick your cabin class, look at the price, then remove the offer code. That will clearly show the difference. If there's no difference, then the voyage you're looking at is not affected by the offer code. But also look at the effect of when you look to sail.

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have posted the savings value - my intent was only to express my appreciation to @FLORIDA FLOUNDER for making me aware of an opportunity that I otherwise would likely have missed (I'm among those who don't seem to get many of the promos and I don't spend a lot of time revisiting the current pricing on a booked cruise - although I may alter that behaviour going forward!).

When we booked the cruise originally, we decided that the price was acceptable for the value we perceived. Being fortunate enough to realize a major savings just increases the value proposition for us. Only you can decide if any expedition price represents value to you. 

Happy cruising! 🍺🥌

1 hour ago, BluebonnetTexan said:

I can’t stand to do email on any device other than my laptop. I finally gave in recently and enabled it on my phone and iPad as an emergency backup though.

 

I do like 2FA, but want it to send a text instead of email. I haven’t tried to login to MVJ yet after these reports hoping Viking will make a change and we are months away from our next trip. I know of another site with the behavior I’m seeing described where a code is automatically emailed, but then the option to use your password is presented. I think this is very confusing personally. It’s frustrating to hear I may be dealing with the same issue now with Viking. It does clutter the inbox unnecessarily. 
 

I hope Viking is reading these complaints and can implement a different approach soon. My career was also in IT like many others who’ve already commented. I know it can be implemented better! 

All they need to do is turn off the email if you sign in with a password - that's not complex programming. I agree with @millybess that this is not 2FA and I'd suggest being careful what you wish for regarding texts.

Sites and apps that use 2FA that requires text are very painful for cruisers - on an extended offshore passage you are forced to the ship's "Cellular at Sea" or equivalent cell service (at it's massive price for any background data that slips through) while you wait for your 2FA text.

2FA or not, at least an email will not incur unwanted charges to get something done. Granted, given shipboard connection reliability, you may never see the email in time, but the same can happen to texts. 

First world problems of course ... 🍺🥌

12 hours ago, Cienfuegos said:

The concept of describing tours as "Moderate" etc is a good one, but it would be far more useful to say something like MODERATE, this tour includes several sets of stone stairs, about 15 minutes of walking on 18th century cobblestone streets, etc.

 

But, they wouldn't sell as many tours...

You have likely seen this, but for others, below is the full set of descriptors that Viking publishes for their shorex. They do provide some expanded information, but in my view they are not overly useful to pax with mobility concerns. The port talks tend to be much more precise, but it's generally too late to cancel at that point.

As you suggest, more precision regarding specific tours would save a lot of angst, both for those who are not able to handle them as well as other pax who can be impacted as well. 🍺🥌

Activity Levels

Walking tours are often over uneven ground or cobblestones and may include stairs and inclines. We have graded all our tours by activity level below, but feel free to ask your Program Director should you have any questions.

Easy
Walking portions are generally over easy surfaces, but may be uneven in parts and contain some step-ups and slight inclines. Total time walking or standing is normally not longer than 1.5 hours. Guests may need to board and disembark transport, including coaches, trains and boats.

Moderate
Walking portions may be long and somewhat challenging with occasional step-ups, stairs, inclines and uneven ground. Total time walking or standing normally ranges from 1.5 to 3 hours. Guests may need to board and disembark transport, including coaches, trains and boats.

Demanding
Physically challenging activities, including extensive walking, hiking, riding, water sports and excursions at high altitudes. Activities by foot may contain difficult and unpaved surfaces and/or multiple stairs and steep inclines. Total time walking or standing may exceed 3 hours. Guests may need to board and disembark transport, including coaches, trains and boats.

Wheelchair (available on Ocean cruises only)
Activities are suitable for wheelchair users. Guests in wheelchairs must be aided by an able-bodied companion; Viking staff is unable to assist with pushing wheelchairs or bringing them on or off the ship.

2 minutes ago, Bxianesq said:

 

Thanks for taking the time to do the comparisons, @CurlerRob. We are HUGE Crow’s Nest fans. I don’t mind having the coffee there, but I do mind when large groups come in and take over. Nice to hear that you enjoyed the HAL circumnavigation-unfortunately, they don’t seem to be doing one that lines up well with a NZ add-on in the next couple of years. 

One other thing I really like about the Explorer's Lounge - there is an exit on each side to a forward balcony deck - you can take photos facing directly forward (a bit like the forward deck on some HAL ships just below the bridge). Fairly unique on cruise ships. 🍺🥌

4 hours ago, Bxianesq said:

Hi-we are trying out one of Viking's ocean cruises for the first time.  We booked a 2026 cruise that circumnavigates Australia with a few stops in Indonesia. We've added another Viking Cruise that sails from Auckland to Sydney on the same ship immediately prior to the Australia cruise.  We chose Viking because of the variety of ports available on the Australia/Indonesia portions of the cruise.  We have not been on any of their river cruises. 

 

We've been on the following cruise lines:

Holland America.  We just earned 4 star Mariner status.  We like HAL's interesting ports of call and food.  The entertainment (shows) have been subpar for the most part, although we loved the pianist Hyperion Knight and one of the Spanish guitar performers on a recent Panama Canal full transit. We enjoy the Rolling Stone lounge and lament the departure of BB King's and Lincoln Center. We've enjoyed meeting lots of well-traveled people on some of HAL's longer cruises.  We're looking forward to our unlimited free laundry!

Oceania-We've been one one Oceania cruise.  We loved the afternoon tea, the food, wine and cocktail selections, and the more upscale feel of the lounge areas.  However, we skipped one port (literally as we were pulling up to the dock), and there were flies coming into an open door of the more casual dining venue. 

Celebrity. We've been on one cruise through several of the Greek islands. We thought that the food was boring, although we had a lovely wine pairing dinner (albeit with a hefty additional cost and a hefty Daniel Boulud cookbook to lug home). I didn't like the restaurant separations (i.e., you can only eat here if you book a spa cabin or a suite).  I also got tired of the constant "Attention Celebrity Infinity" overhead announcements. Their excursions were very good. We also liked their casual dining seating placement-unlike HAL's. 

Royal Caribbean-Our first cruise.  I almost didn't get my husband on another cruise ship after that experience....way too many people crammed into their atrium. 

 

I understand that Viking does not charge extra for specialty dining or certain excursions.  I have a few questions:

1.  How is the food in the main dining room and in the specialty restaurants?  Do the MDR menus change daily?

2. Is laundry included, and is it sent out by your cabin steward or do your own?

3.  Is there a library, and are there a decent number of up to date books?

4  Are there any food or wine themed walking tours included?  We're not really big on being cooped up on a bus for hours on end. On a recent coffee plantation tour in Guatemala, my husband commented that we spent 3 hours on a bus to get...a cup of coffee. We are foodies and love exploring local food markets and restaurants.  They don't need to be pricey.

5.  Do they have an interesting wine selection on board? Is there anywhere that I could take a look at their wine list?

6.  Is it easy to go off the ship and do your own thing? 

7.  Is there entertainment on board?

Many thanks for any input.  I realize that the cruise is far off in time and that things can always change. For reference, we'll be on the Viking Orion. 

 

Welcome to the Viking boards. We had over 300 nights on HAL prior to our first Viking cruise - all of that was on HAL's smaller ships, before they invested in the 2000+ pax vessels. We also have sailed Oceania once, like you.

You've already received a number of thoughts from posters - I'll try to touch on a couple of comparisons that always strike me - as always, free opinions are worth what you pay for them 😈:

Food - we find the dining room and buffet food quite adequate on both HAL and Viking, with the edge going to Viking for quality. Viking has not succumbed to HAL's MDR nickel and diming, with their extra charges for many things. Either can have hits and misses, as can any cruise line. Viking's Chef's Table is a fun concept and worth experiencing. Regretfully, we have not been impressed with Viking's Manfredi's post-Covid performance - while Canaletto on HAL carries a modest surcharge, we've always enjoyed our meals there. 

Wine selection - I'd suggest that Viking's wines by the glass are comparable to the various wine packages that you may have purchased on HAL. While we don't find either of those very impressive, you can usually find something you enjoy and Viking staff will try hard to find it for you at mealtimes, even if it's not the "daily offering". Viking's huge advantage is in allowing you to bring any amount of beer/wine/liquor on board at any point and enjoy it anywhere on the ship without corkage. That blows HAL and Oceania away, and frankly renders the on-board wine list pretty much irrelevant.

Entertainment - we have nearly zero interest in on-board entertainment, so we're not a useful reference. The one item I noted from your post is that you appeared to like the various music venues on HAL (which are vanishing ...). You will likely find Viking's entertainment to be quite a bit more subdued overall than HAL - something worth considering.

Miscellaneous - if you enjoy the Crow's Nest on HAL, Viking's Explorer's Lounge is the living version of what HAL's Crow's Nest used to be, before it was assimilated by the shorex and pseudo Starbuck's stuff. Viking Ocean ships have an extraordinary amount of public places to sit, relax or converse - the clean Scandinavian decor makes the ships seem incredibly open and spacious. 

If your Viking NZ-Oz booking will be your first experience in that part of the world, I predict that you'll have a wonderful time! That circle (done on HAL) ranks as one of our most memorable trips - it would have been great even if sailing in a canoe!

Hope that helps a bit. 🍺🥌

35 minutes ago, Safari-Wom said:

I’m currently researching Antarctic cruises for 2025.  I’m a senior and will be traveling alone so I’m especially interested in making travel to and from the ship’s port as easy and uncomplicated as possible.  The Viking cruises begin in Ushuaia and they appear to offer escorted chartered flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and the reverse upon return.  This is important  to me as getting to Ushuaia is tricky and not accessible with major airlines.  I don’t want to arrive in Buenos Aires to try to make my own way there.  I’d love to see any reviews of cruisers’ experiences on the Viking Antarctic cruises including Viking handling of the guests’ pre embarkation & post debarkation experience as well as the on board experience.  I am looking at the Viking Polaris cruises so reviews of this ship would be great!  I will so appreciate any input I can get from the Cruise Critic community.

In addition to what has already been posted, this promo post may be of interest - it runs through July 31 and is offering extraordinary savings on what are expensive cruises. Click on the "Post Viking Promos" next to the female avatar. 🍺🥌

On 7/19/2024 at 11:41 AM, FLORIDA FLOUNDER said:

Call Viking at 844-675-0421 or contact your travel advisor

LIMITED-TIME OFFER Up to FREE International Airfare | FREE Stateroom Upgrade* Reduced Fares Ask for offer ANT24 • Expires July‌ 31‌, 2024‌

This one struck gold for me - Octantis in January - Falklands, South Georgia, Ant. Same dates / same cabin. Your kindness in posting these just saved us $14K CDN. Many, many thanks! 🍻🥌

3 hours ago, nikitty said:

Was this a Viking tour? It seems like that type of description would cause some irate customers as that should be plainly stated.  I do think Monet's Garden should be considered "demanding" if there is a long walk to the gardens and not much time to actually go through it.  Then it becomes a race which we found strenuous.   

Yes, it was a Viking tour and was rated as moderate. Your guess is correct, there were a number of complaints to the shorex team by pax who struggled with the stairs. Enjoy your trip! 🍺🥌

17 minutes ago, cruise101 said:

I understand Viking allows one to bring ones own liquor on-board.

 

Rather than lugging a bottle of scotch (or gin or cognac), do they also sell liquor by the bottle in the shops on the ship?

 

If so, is there a link that shows what is typically held in stock in the ship's shops? Also, are liquor prices on the ship duty free and thus cheaper than what you'd pay in port?

 

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Liquor is not for sale by the bottle. Even if it was, I would expect it to be marked up at the same rate as the wine (about 3X). Drinks are very reasonable by cruise line standards if you don't want to bring your own bottle aboard. 🍺🥌

9 hours ago, Redtravel said:

In April, were in PJS with a slider.  I like fresh air. We left the slider open about an inch. Middle of the night, we woke up in a sweat. Room temperature was high.  Called guest services. Rep asked if our sliding door was open.  AC doesn’t work if slider is open. Closed door and AC worked.  
On next cruise we have PV with window and door.  If the door is open, does the AC not work?

Same issue. Somewhere in your cabin is a notification that implies that leaving any door open will affect the HVAC - I can't remember where it is and it was not at definitive as it might be, but it's the case in all cabins. 🍺🥌

15 hours ago, CruisingCleo said:

If we are in ports in countries where there is no Starlink ( in our case it will be Montenegro and Turkey) would it be possible to buy an internet package from the ship for those days? Or we could use a hotspot via mobile phone. 
Which would be a better solution? My sister has to chair one or two Team meetings during our cruise.

Thanks in advance.

If your sister was simply joining the virtual meetings, she could roll the dice on the quality of the shipboard internet at that time (even with Starlink, cruise line internet does not provide the reliability of land-based systems).

If she's chairing and hence needs a solid connection, I'd agree that using the cell hotspot would be a much more prudent approach. 🍺🥌

1 hour ago, Messybill said:

That said, no iPad is ever useless.  It's a great device for many things, including "general" web access but also reading (both Kindle and iBooks), not to mention many quite entertaining apps.

And a local hospital will be very grateful for its donation - they are always usable for patients who don't have a device. 🍺🥌

4 hours ago, nikitty said:

 

 

Hello!

I will be on the Trade Routes of the Middles Ages from Bergen to Barcelona on August 31st with my mom and I've booked all our tours but am trying to decide if I need to adjust them as my mom has mobility issues.  My mom uses a cane and can walk but she walks slowly so it's not feasible to do demanding excursions with a large group that require a lot of walking/keeping up. <snip>

You are wise to request specific excursion info from posters here who have done the tours. I can't help you with any of the specific ones, as we tend to use private excursions, but based on some recent experience with a Viking tour classed as "moderate", I would advise caution unless someone has described your tour in detail.

Ours was in Taipei - it used the standard "moderate" language that you've included to describe the tour. It turned out that to reach the lunch restaurant required climbing of a reasonably steep slope and 100 stairs (the only access option was to hire a taxi up/down) - very difficult for many of the pax, much less anyone with mobility problems. In my view, the tour difficulty was grossly misrepresented.

Encouragingly, one of the first people up the stairs was a woman with two canes and a leg brace - quite the inspiration. BTW, the tour was great, just a tough surprise for lots of people. 

Only you know your mother's capabilities, but based on what you've written, I would not even consider a Viking "demanding" tour. Despite the cost, you may be best served to look at private tours as your first choices.

Best of luck sorting this out! 🍺🥌

4 minutes ago, mysty said:

 

But the Lasagna was spectacular right??? 😁

"Spectacular" would be one description, judging by some of the expressions around the table 😈.  It was somewhat removed from Black Tartan quality! 🍺🥌

15 hours ago, mysty said:

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

 

The very first time I made Lasagna, for dinner with friends, the recipe called for "two cloves of garlic". Unfortunately, I did not know the difference between cloves and buds ... after an hour of peeling garlic, I swore I'd never make the dish again. All the attendees were persona non grata for several days.

I wish I'd had this picture then - would have saved me from 50 years of mocking ... 🍺🥌

6 hours ago, zelker said:

We're considering the July 2025 cruise NYC-AMS but would like to know if they do any scenic cruising around Svalbard, to increase chance of seeing wildlife (other than birds).  Have you read anything about that?

Unlikely in the sense that I think you mean. You will overnight in Longyearbyen, arriving early am and leaving the next day in late afternoon. You may have some sightings on the approach and departure, but there is no circling of the archipelago in the same way that the expedition ships of several lines do.

I believe that part of this is due to the changed rules regarding polar classification - VO ships are not classified at the same level as their (or others) expedition ships, and can't get as close to the ice as in past years. (In 2015 we were on another line - their 'standard' vessel went well to the north of Svalbard to the edge of the polar ice pack. That doesn't happen today.

On that same cruise, we did have a polar bear 'sighting' on shore - or so we were told by the master and those with powerful telephoto lenses! Unfortunately, I was not among them ... 🍺🥌

12 hours ago, sharkster77 said:

If I understand correctly, the issue with using calling apps is that you need to be sure whoever you are calling has the app on their phones--both you and the recipient need whatever app you're using.  If you don't both have What'sAp or Facebook Messenger, etc., it won't work.

 

This is not the case I believe for wifi calling.

 

Please correct me if my assumptions are not correct.

 

You're correct for the two apps you mentioned, however, there are a number of calling apps that allow you to 'load' them with some funds and use that money to call landlines and mobiles from the calling app. Skype is one example - price per minute varies widely depending on the quality of the infrastructure in the country you call, but between 2 and 10 cents per minute is a general guideline. Works quite well for short or emergency calls.

With WiFi calling, the carriers that I'm aware of treat a WiFi call just like a cellular one - you are subject to the terms of whatever calling plan you have. So, if you call internationally, you will generally be charged at their normal per minute rates (unless you already have an international plan).

With the plethora of carriers and plans that exist, it can be very confusing. I find it useful to start with a basic question - how much calling am I likely to do and to where? That will form the basis for analyzing your options. 🍺🥌

12 hours ago, Woodrowst said:

Please be aware that your approach may not be available in all ports and, if it is, it may be with the less desirable operators.  Research becomes important so you can do an effective cost-benefit analysis (I.e. is this operator highly rated enough to make their liberal cancellation policy worth it).

I would amend this slightly to point out that it may not be available from all providers, versus ports. Our experience is that refundability for a missed port is actually an indicator of a more desirable operator - they understand the long-term value of playing fair.

That said, I agree there is no substitute for research. 🍺🥌

13 minutes ago, mjmagee said:

Thank you for the wine list.  Interesting.  Seems all glasses of wine are priced at $8.  So if you want a better glass of wine you do not have a choice to pay by the glass; you must buy the bottle.  Hmmm.

That is correct. Or, you are welcome to bring wine of your choice onboard at any time without corkage. You can drink it anywhere on the ship, bar and restaurant staff will be happy to provide glasses and even store the bottle if you wish.

Your original question was about the drink package. Over many threads, people buy it for one of several reasons:

1) They do the math and determine that it makes economic sense based on what and/or how much they choose to drink.

2) They view it as a convenience and like not having to pay that bill at the end of the cruise.

3) Some people like to experiment with different drinks they might not like when under the package, as they feel more comfortable putting it aside when under the package.

All pax in a stateroom must by the package.

It's important to understand that the beverage package is simply a way to pay for drinks, nothing more - there's no "special" set of drinks that are not available to all pax all the time. 🍺🥌

8 hours ago, BluebonnetTexan said:

Watching the Scottish Open and just saw a familiar ship shape passing off the coast…checked Cruise Mapper and sure enough it was Viking Neptune! 😁🥂

Saw her as well. Neptune and Saturn were both in the Firth. Neptune bound for Invergordon, Saturn for Kirkwall. 🍺🥌

6 hours ago, Lenbro1944 said:

Anybody have current hard liquor prices?

The search function on the main Viking board yielded this when I typed in "Bar Prices". With thanks (again) to @Clay Clayton. 🍺🥌