Billybob62

We have a full day in Sihanoukville and have a choice of a tour to Kampot and Kep or to Phnom Penh. It is a 3 1/2 hour drive each way to Phnom Penh and we would see the Royal Palace complex (including the Silver Pagoda) the prison and the killing fields. Has any body done either or both and what were they like?

Papa: Thanks so much for taking the time to respond. I will see what might be available for an afternoon tour once we reach Cochin; I still want to do the ship's tour. We are from Atlanta (Dunwoody).

We are on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager and the tour is included. The tour goes to Mattancherry to the Palace and then to Jew town with the spice markets. Then on to fort Cochin and the Chinese fishing nets. the rest of the tour is by boat in the harbor and outlying islands.

How much of this is covered in an all day tour which includes a backwater trip? As much as we would like to do a backwater tour, seeing the basics of Cochin is of higher priority. Thanks again.

We are in Cochin for a day in December and have a ship's tour from 9:00 am to about 2:00 pm. The ship does not leave Cochin until 10:00 pm. We want to do a backwater tour in the afternoon but cannot find any that does afternoons, only mornings or all day. Any suggestions? Thanks.

I had read on several recent reviews that the equipment in the fitness center on the Voyager was in poor condition. In the press releases for the refurbishment, there was no mention of a fitness center update. I contacted Regent corporate (after getting no good answer from customer service) and was just told that the fitness has new equipment and a new floor. With so many sea days on our upcoming cruise that is good news.

We are on the Dec 2 cruise from Dubai to Singapore with lots of sea days. What are some experiences with sea day activities on Voyager? How well does the staff cover the time at sea? Thanks.

Has anybody been in a Category C Penthouse cabin on the Voyager? They are all at the aft of the ship and if so, is there a vibration from the engines even on Decks 8 or 9? Also what about motion in heavier seas? Thanks.

We have 2 full days on our own in Bergen and wonder if we visit Mt Ulriken is there a really different view of Bergen from Mt. Floyen? Also, aside from the usual tourist highlights, any suggestions of hidden gems we might want to see or do in Bergen? How does the Grieg concert in town compare to the one at his home? Thanks.

With regard to our changed shore excursions, I am happy to inform everyone that after contacting Viking through the TellUs email, I received a phone call from Viking Customer Service within 24 hours and after an extensive and very friendly conversation, I emailed a comprehensive chart of the changes that had been made to our group of 10. As it turned out, Stacy from Viking had to talk to each couple individually before she could send the change requests to Shorex, but in the end all of our changed excursions were reinstated to the original time (except for 2 that were 1/2 hour changes due to tour schedule changes). While it took a considerable amount time, Viking was terrific in the end. I truly believe that Viking is making every effort to remedy problems if it can, especially if the problem is presented in a conciliatory manner. I just hope that we do not have any surprises either before we leave or once we get on the ship.

For anybody who has a problem, contact TellUs and be nice.

We are a group of 10 (5 couples) and all of us had shore excursions changed (always the included ones never and paid ones) from our original ones, sometimes by an hour, sometimes by several hours. Our group had spent a considerable amount of time coordinating the excursions so that we could be together on the ones where more than one couple agreed. We all also got online at 3:00 am EDT on April 13 to ensure that we got what we had all agreed on (only one couple missed a paid excursion). That was blown to bits by some of the changes, where we either separated or put on a later excursion which interferes with some of our other plans to do things on our own or with meals. The only notice we got from Viking was an email stating that due to "schedule changes" some shore excursions times "might" be changed. No list of changes or explanation as to why the changes were made. Based on a prior post by Viking in this thread, the explanation of overbooking is obviously unsatisfactory. Also, what was the criteria for selecting who was to be changed? Viking was also well aware of the 10 of us being a group.

I emailed TellUs@Vikingcruises.com about the problems on Sunday (the 8th)and received a phone call from a very personable customer service rep named Stacy yesterday (the 9th). I was on the phone for an hour going over all the changes and emailed her an even more detailed schematic of all the changes and an explanation of why most were unacceptable (dietary issues are involved among others like a conflict with the reservation at Manfredi's). The problem is that Stacy could do nothing but send the info to the Shore Excursion Department and THE PERSON" was out this week. While I very much appreciated the very prompt response, I have very little confidence that much will be done to rectify the problem if indeed overbooking caused the problem in the first place since someone will have to be "bumped" like we were.

It is a shame to have to deal with &*!*@* like this when everything else I hear about the ship is so positive.

I will let everyone know how this ends up, but like has been said in prior posts, be vigilant on the shore excursions before you go and once you are on the ship.

For those who have already sailed on either the Viking Star or Sea, how was your experience with the reservations for the shore excursions and the shore excursions themselves? Any uninvited changes you had to deal with and if so how were they resolved? Thanks!

We have 2 full days in Bergen and aside from a morning city tour the second morning, the rest is free time. We would like to go to Mt Ulriken by public bus the first morning and then tour whatever is not covered in Bergen in our included tour that afternoon. If we do Mt Ulriken, is the view different from Mt Floyen? We can walk up which is probably fun in and of itself. Any suggestions for "out of the way" places in Bergen? Thanks for any advice.

Carolyn: We are on the June 19 Into the Midnight Sun, so your experience will be somewhat different, but to what extent were there lectures or talks, what were the topics and when were they presented? Are there talks about the upcoming ports? Since we are group of 10, did you get any sense of how the seating in the main restaurant worked out for large groups? How efficient was the flow for the shore excursions? My assumption is that there is a gathering place where you wait to be called. Finally, did you use the laundry and how crowded (or not) was the laundry facility?

Thanks for your postings.

I am looking for some feedback on a river cruise from Budapest to the Black Sea on Vantage. We have been on 6 prior Vantage trips, but never a river cruise. I would continue to travel with Vantage in a heartbeat (we are going to Cuba next month with Vantage), but I have heard mixed reviews of the what one sees on this particular cruise, lots of rather depressing citiies and towns that have not yet been able to escape their Russian influence. Budapest at the beginning and Vienna as a post-cruise extension are very appealing. Candid assesments of what your impressions were will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.:)

Sheila: I should have read your post more closely; it does not sound like you are a cruise after all. Anyway, whatever info you have on how to best spend the day will be great.:) :)

Sheila: This is Billybob from Atlanta who got you the e-mail from the Marriott in Quito for your pottery. Guess we are following you all over the world. We will be in Palma in early May off the Noordam. Any info on your visit will be great; you were wonderful with your info in the Galapagos. What ship will you be on and what other ports are you visiting. Look forward to hearing from you.:) :)

Anybody have any suggestions as to how to best spend the day (6-7 hours) in Palma de Mallorca :) :). What are the highlights and can we do this on our own or do we need a guide? Thanks for any advice.