Fitzall

On 10/7/2019 at 1:03 AM, mmwc said:

We did our first Viking Ocean experience this past summer, Bergen to London.  What an amazing  adventure.  We are hooked on Viking Ocean.  It seems that this is the place to ask questions and get  answers.  We have our sights set on In the Wake of the Vikings 2021.  We can not find any listing for it.  Can any Viking experts reading this offer some insight as to when the dates for this cruise might be published?

Is Viking going to be offering this cruise in 2021?

 

With many thanks - Michael and Midge🇨🇦

 

 

We too want to do this cruise in 2021. I’ve spoken to Viking in Australia & I’m afraid the news is not too good. 

Originally a repositioning cruise, this may no longer occur due to extra ships Viking now has & they’ll be based around the world with no need for repositioning from all bases. 

Still hoping it occurs though. 

We’re based in Brisbane & used HAL for the Inside Passage Cruise last year.

Gratuities were not included in the fare. We travelled with Viking in the Med the year before and they were included ( which we prefer).

With HAL we ended up paying their recommended amounts and paid by debit card at cruises end (along with any other items we purchased). It was seamless.

We’re in our mid 60s & are heading there in Oct 18 as part of a Sth American 50 day tour .... no boats except for Galapagos.

We are on Corals 1 (sister ship is Corals 2) totalling 56 pax between them. I dont snorkel either but am looking forward to dry & wet landings & seeing the area.

Our 4 day tour (includes return flights to the islands, NP fees etc & all meals) plus 2 nites in Guayaquil & 2 nites in Quito (incl transfers, accom and tours) costs $AU8444 for 2.

We chose this cruise as it was mid range and did offer very good value.

Thank you. Will you please post their contact information?

Email adventuremontenegro@t-com.me & let them know what you want to do, how long in port, cost etc. You won't be disappointed

I don't think 1200 steps would be an option for me. Is there another way to get to the top to see the view? I've seen photos of this and would love to capture some for memories.

We had a private tour with Adventure Montenegro for an 8 hr tour ... part of that tour was the drive up Mt Louvcen stopping at a number of places for photo ops. They'll take you where you want to go .... and price it accordingly. You don't have to take one of their gazetted tours. You also don't want to miss a trip across to Our Lady of The Rocks off Perast. This can be incorporated in your tour.

Fitzall, would you share the tour companies names of your optional tours? These look good to me.

 

This will be our first Viking cruise and are used to booking our own small group tours.

 

Thanks, Margee and Bill

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Greeting from Australia, Margee & Bill

After doing our research, we chose 1 company from each port. Looked at what they offered & emailed them with our preferred requirements (including how long we had it port) & they came back with what they could provide. i.e we didn't have to do exactly what their tours said.

As there's a number of 'town' tours included on the cruise, we wanted to get out in to the countryside in some ports.

All 3 were waiting for us when we docked & had us back at the pier with time to spare.

Koper - we did Prejama Castle & Postojna Caves (tours of both) via Ishranka d.o.o travel agency. Part of the Caves guided tour is done by underground train. For the Castle tour, we did self guiding. Cost of this tour included entrance fees for the Caves; I think we paid a minimal fee for the Castle .... but both were well worth it.

Zadar - would have liked to do Plitvice Lakes NP but it was a bit too far to really enjoy it. Settled on Krka NP

which we were told was equally as good. Couldn't agree more! Magnificent. Here we used Zadar Guided Tours ... only a small company but very welcoming (& knowledgable). All entrance fees, boat etc included.

You drive to Skradin & catch a boat into/out of the park. The guide takes you through and then supplies a lunch pack before heading back to Zadar. We reduced the time for lunch & free time so they could give us a quick tour of Zadar before boarding the ship. I think we had to pay a 10% deposit on this one.

The Viking equivalent has you bussing into the park ... the boat trip was a nice touch, and I suspect the walking tour was longer than Viking as there were a few ups & downs.

Kotor - (make sure you're on deck for the sail in - fantastic). Here we used Adventure Montenegro. (Don't get put off by the name ... we're in our 60s) As we had many hours at this port, we decided to firstly go up to Mt Louvcen NP (27 switchbacks) .... great road! plenty of photo ops. At the top, you then climbed up numerous stairs to the mausoleum, and stunning views.

Then returned down the mountain to Perast & caught a boat to Our Lady Of The Rocks for a guided tour... really good as well. Back to Perast for free time (lunch), then to Kotor for a quick tour. All entrance fees etc included.

As previously mentioned, the price was around €90 p/p on each tour, and all were well worth it.

If you google the sights listed, you'll get a an idea of what to expect. Hope this is of some help.

Michael

Our Australian friends who cruises always opt out of paying gratuities as they told us it is built in their price cruise in Australia. I believed them but now I don't know if it is true

 

The Canadians!:cool:

We're from Oz and are on HAL in July (Alaska-Vancouver).

The culture in Oz is that tipping is given for good service, rather than being told to do so.

That being said, we do understand that cruising seems to have a different set of rules.

Generally I've found that for Australians cruising, other than ex Australia, gratuities are generally included in the price. For instance we've recently

done 3 Viking (2 River; 1 Ocean) & gratuities were included in the fare. All we had to do was present a voucher to reception on disembarkation. Any exceptional service was also rewarded with cash in hand to the individual/s. We had no idea what the 'daily rate' was, and didn't really care.

My understanding for Cruises ex Oz, depending on the line, is that they don't include gratuities either in the price, or a recommended daily rate.

I would have preferred HAL to have included gratuities in the fare, rather than concerning myself about a cost of x$ & if I'm getting value for the service provided.

We did this cruise in Aug 16.

We also did the paid Temple of Poseidon in Athens, along with the Santorini tour that included Oia.

We chose 3 tours from outside companies ....

Kotor- 10 hr day .. up to Mt Lovcen NP with a walk to the mausoleum (brilliant) as were the views down to Kotor Bay, back to our Lady of the Rocks, Perast & then a walk around Kotor.

Zadar- Zrka NP by car & then boat into the park. Really beautiful place

Koper- visited Postnoja Cave & Predjama Castle. Excellent as well.

We chose these 3 as private tours as we had more time to explore without having wait for a bus load of passengers. Viking did have a derivative of these tours but were more expensive (not that this was a factor). All were around €90 p/p and included all NP fees, boat charges & 1 lunch.

The remainder of the tours we did the included Viking Tours.

1st HAL experience .... Inside Passage to Vancouver in July with pre Denali tour. Travelling a long way so I hope it's worth it!

artbcpa I've tried to follow all your posts about your trip from Venice to Athens. We are doing it in March.

Anyone else who has recently made this trip, I'd appreciate the names and contact information for private tour providers that you found good and reasonable.

We did Athens to Venice last August. The non-Viking tours were a bit cheaper than the paid cruise options, private vehicle etc. This helps as you can do a bit more without having to wait for a bus load of people.

For instance in Zadar (Zadar Guided Tours), we did Krka NP (car to Skradin then boat in to the NP) walking tour around the NP, lunch pack provided, back on the boat, then walking tour of Zadar & back to pier. €90 p/p 6+ hrs. The Viking equivalent is $au189 p/p but you drive in to the park rather than by boat. Really beautiful.

In Koper (Istranka Tours) privately did the POSTOJNA CAVE & PREDJAMA CASTLE tour @ €99 p/p (Viking $au244 p/p). No meal included on our tour. Approx 7 hrs. Same itinerary as Viking. Fantastic

Kotor is a delightful place. We used Adventure Montenegro (don't be put of by the name - we,re in our mid 60s). Ours was around 10 hrs @ €85 p/p. Perast & Our Lady of the Rocks followed by Kotor Walking Tour, break for lunch, then drive up to Mt Louvcen (27+ switchbacks!!) to look over Kotor .... truly magnificent and the highlight of our trip.

Google the places mentioned to see if it suits you.

For the other ports we used Viking Free or paid.

I still have not received an answer :D. Can anyone chime in here and let me know what you did for tipping room service people?

We did room service twice but didn't tip from what I remember. Our gratuities were prepaid, but we did leave cash for our cabin stewards on our departure.

Was there a lot of strenuous hiking on this tour? I am okay with trekking but at high altitudes and steep terrain I get concerned. Any info would be appreciated since the tour looks great.

Peregrina is correct, so a quick answer .... you can hike on your own however we wandered around the valley (flattish), caught the cable car up and walked down. All included in the price (we're in our 60s)

My top recommendation for Venice is to book the Saint Marks at Night tour (either through the ship or through Viator) -- the experience of entering the dark church and watching it come to life as the lights are turned on is magical!

We finished our Viking cruise in Venice last August and took up Host Jazzbeau's recommendation via Viator .... it was absolutely wonderful. Only 3 groups with no more than 20 in each group... never got in each other's way.

Consider the queues during the day are long with 1000s visiting St Marks and here you have the whole area virtually to yourself. Around €90 p/p.Thoroughly recommend.

Making day tours from Barcelona to other part of nearby Spain is a journey of beauty from viewing your link.

What did you do in Menorca?

.

Flew both ways and rented car. Visited Mahon (near airport) then drove across the island to Ciutadella (47kms) ..... this was a nice village to visit, mostly locals. Then visited some of the magnificent hidden beaches along the southern coast.... the roads to the beaches can be very narrow in parts (maybe car & a half wide) and car parks (some paid) can fill up quickly, but worth the effort.

Much more relaxed than Ibiza & Mallorca.

We did a day tour to Nuria Valley in the Pyrenees https://www.viator.com/tours/Barcelona/Pyrenees-Mountains-Small-Group-Day-Trip-from-Barcelona/d562-3142PYREN .... was absolutely magnificent.

Also visited Menorca .... not as many tourists as the other 2 islands.

We Aussies unfortunately have a reputation as being a little tight when it comes to tipping(!), hence Viking Australia includes gratuities in the fare which I think is a great idea.

We did give extra to our cabin staff for carrying out their duties over and above what we expected.

From what I remember there was a recommended daily charge for non-Aussies ;)

We have booked for the March 17, 2017 cruise and from reading reviews from others who have had the same ports and reported on excursions, several mentioned that is it a lot cheaper to book the excursion from a vendor not the cruise line.

 

• We get into Venice mid-day and would like to take a gondola ride. The cost is $99/pp but see on the internet that rides are priced as low as $50/pp.
   
  
  • Lastly, for now, anyone who has taken this trip or a trip to the following ports, I would appreciate any feedback you have. Ports we will visit are Venice, Italy; Koper, Slovenia; Zadar and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Kotor, Montenegro and Corfu, Olympia, and Athens, Greece.
    

We did the cruise in Aug. The better gondola ride is €80 per gondola so €40 p/p if there's 2 of you. Cheaper again if there's 4 of you.

The private night tour of St Marks is brilliant as well. 7-9pm or thereabouts ... around €80 p/p..... around 20 persons

We used private tours for Koper, Zadar & Kotor.... used a mixture of free and paid Viking for the other tours.

Kotor- The sail in was magnificent . As we we're in port from 0800-2300, it was Top of Mt Lovcen 1st (27 switchbacks) and then walk to the mausoleum at the top, then back to Perast & tour of Our Lady of Rocks, walking tour of Kotor & then Back to the Viking Sea (10.5 hr day) @ €85 p/p incl entrance fees etc via Adventure Montenegro. This was our busiest day and our favourite.

Zadar- wanted to go to Plitvice NP but was a bit too far, so opted for Krka NP to see the travertine waterfalls. Travel to Skradin and catch boat into/out of the park (optional cruise tour goes all the way by bus), tour around the park (lunch pack included), then return for walking tour of Zadar. (6.5 hrs @ €90 p/p) includes entrance fees etc via Zadar Guided Tours

Koper- Did Postojna Caves & Predjama Castle Tour (6.5 hrs @ €99 p/p) incl entrance fees etc via Istranka D.O.O. Same as the optional Viking Tour but more personal.

I had booked Zadar/Koper before I saw the cruise prices for these optional tours. Glad I went the way I did!

It was nice to go to out-of-the-way places with just a driver & guide. All private tours had us back to the dock on time.

And you'll love the ship!

We were on the Sea in August And also found it excellent

Just wondering if anyone out there has matched the cost of excursions from Viking and compared them to the outside?

We did a mixture of Viking freebies, Viking paid & private excursions.

It really wasn't based on price, but what you got for the paid excursions.

Remember that the Viking free & paid excursions will be busloads of 40 people.

As Viking appeals to the 'more mature' traveller, loading/unloading the bus & walking around could take a little longer due to the age of some of the travellers which was fine some of the time.

For ports that piqued our interest, we decided on outside private tours booked pre-cruise where there was only the 2 of us; we could spend time in the places that interested us and, by not having to wait for a group to reassemble, we got to see a lot more. With private tours, we were able to massage the tour to include what we wanted to see. Pricing was generally cheaper than Viking, but that wasn't at the forefront of our decision-making.

We are, we booked Mont traveler, who did you Use?

Wendy

In Kotor we used Adventure Montenegro (we're in our 60s but the name sounded exciting!) ... were there for 12+ hrs so did a 9 hr+ tour - up to the top of Mt Lovcen 1st ... scary road but magnificent views over Kotor Bay & once you get to the top of Mt Lovcen, theres quite a few steps up to the Mausoleum & bigger views; then back to Perast (had late lunch here) & Our Lady Of The Rocks tour followed by Kotor walking tour.

In Koper we used Istranka ... visited the Postojna Caves 1st up then on to Predjama Castle. Maybe 6-7 hrs duration. Both tours around 90 euros p/p. Both included entrance fees etc.

All 3 tour guides were absolutely brilliant & all were ready for us on docking & dropped us back with plenty of time to spare. No rushing at all.

Michael

We contacted them and they have been amazing, thank you for the recommendation.

My pleasure. Are you visiting Koper &/or Kotor as we did private tours there also? Can supply details if interested.

Michael

We'll be on the Sea in a little over two months. I hope more people sign up for our Meet & Mingle before we sail. Right now there are just six of us. Seems like a pretty small party! How many people were at yours?

18 had registered ... 12 turned up on the night. It was held in the Explorers Lounge on Lvl 8. Still, a good time was had by all .... great to meet some important crew members.

We will be in Zadar in a couple of weeks, not many private tour guide options, did you use Zadar guided tours and if so which tour did you take and were you happy with them. I appreciate any and all information

Wendy

We used Zadar Guided Tours and were very happy with the tour. Zadar to Skradin by car then boat in to Krka NP. Guided walk around the park. Really beautiful place to visit. Packed lunch included. Return to Skradin by boat & back to Zadar for a quick tour of that town. They will modify Tours to what you want to do. We conversed by email of their FB page.

Love your review and beautiful pictures. We are doing this cruise in reverse in December.

 

Are any of the ports tender ports? Or is the Sea small enough to dock?

We were on the Sea in Aug Athens to Venice.. Santorini is always by tender. The only other tender was Kotor because another ship was already berthed. There is a website that shows how many ships will be in a port at any one time .... will try and find it. You'll love the ship and ports!

Thank you all for your input.

 

Today was a full day. We were in Koper, Slovenia, had the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle, a preview of the Entertainment and ate at the Chef's Table.

 

Meet & Mingle - I must begin this post by saying I have NEVER been to a Meet and Mingle get together where so many of the crew attended. Viking really goes all out and treats this event with unbelievable support. We have seen cruise lines who virtually did nothing; others who put on "staged" events and a few where the ship's staff do only token appearances. The captain, the hotel manager, the cruise director, the asst. cruise director, the restaurant supervisor, plus staff from guest services, future bookings (and more) were all there. There was food, drink and lots of space. We were very impressed.

I agree with you wholeheartedly. We were on the Sea mid August & the Meet & Mingle turn-up of crew was amazing and they generally seemed interested! I think you'll find all the crew so so friendly