CCWineLover

2 hours ago, stretchcruz said:

We are doing Rome to Miami Oct 2020. I have a great relationship with my TA as well. Have booked over 20 cruises with her. As long as you are happy that's important. 

Hi Stretchcruz - how right you are - "as long as you are happy".

We are on the same Rome to Miami Oct 2020 - let's hope the virus is contained or slowed by then 🙂

Regarding your travel agent that you have a long time relationship with, would you be able to contact me via my email?

kjstong@charter.net

We are the ones who visit Tucson regularly and have friends who live near Sabino (for reference).   See you in 7 months we hope!

4 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

Photos here from Viking Sea (can remember which wardrobe configuration was used for Jupiter). https://intothemidnightsun.shutterfly.com/vikingsea

 

Won't comment one way or another about space since we are light packers except to say that we have no issue with the location of the bed and its proximity to the closet -- and we are not petite people. But even that is a controversial statement because everyone has their own idea as to what acceptable.

 

 

The Jupiter has the drawers in the closet, which some have felt makes it more confining.  We pack light also so didn't have any issue.  The ships are not exactly the same and one of the differences is in the DV closets.   The Star, Sea, Sky, Sun had shelfs in the closets and the later ships (Jupiter, Orion) had actual drawers.

You can do a search in Viking forums and see lots of discussion and pictures on this exact topic.

32 minutes ago, Capt_BJ said:

another vote for DIY on the train, or via nutshell. We've done both

 

last time via Nutshell we began at end of cruise in Bergen and stayed 2 additional nites.  The via Nutshell went to Oslo via train/bus/ferry/train/train spending one night in Flam arriving by ferry, then Flam rail to meet the Oslo train the next day. Then two nights in Oslo. (there is a company which will take your bags from Bergen to Oslo (or reverse) so you don't have to drag on the train/ferry if doing Nutshell . . .) Oslo // Bergen is a long ride!

 

'Thon' is sort of the Holiday Inn of Norway ... there's a bunch of Thon hotels in Oslo ... we stayed in Thon Terminus ... a short walk from 'central station'

Thanks for your comments!

We plan to do the Nutshell DIY (on our own and not Viking which was expensive) when we complete our Into The Midnight Sun cruise in Bergen this July.  We are staying (again on our own are decent prices) at the Thon in Bergen and then the Thon in Oslo. (Both Rosencranz).  Hoping to have a great time, as you did!

34 minutes ago, jacquesmm said:

If they reposition to go from the US to Polynesia, I am interested.

I think they are talking about maybe a reposition the other way - to Alaska from Australia area.

I would think the only way they would do the reverse is, if for some reason, Asia is still shut down due to the virus, that might be needed to get from Alaska to Australia in the fall.  If that is the situation, however, we are all in a much worse situation!  Let's hope not!

Yes, thank you so much!  We did the Dec 21st cruise - Valpo to Buenos Aires, disembarking Jan 7th.

Your pictures are fantastic and made me relive some of the great memories!   We were blessed with great weather - and saw the Volcano (Osorno) at Puerto Montt/Varas, had an amazing time at Amalia Glacier and the Fjords, as well as the early morning steaming through the Beagle Channel, an amazing unexpected sunny day in Punta Arenas, and a glorious sunny (but cool) day in the Falklands to go see the King Penguins.

What an amazing itinerary this South America trip is, that is for sure!

2 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Viking has been sailing this itinerary since 2015 and, to date, it has sailed more times than any other Ocean itinerary offered.

I totally agree with you Pergrina651!   We took the Homelands cruise that Bookboss is planning, almost 2 years ago in 2018 and almost exactly the dates they are planning (May).  It was our first Viking Ocean Cruise.  They certainly DID have their act together and it showed.  It could not have been any smoother, and just plain spectacular.  Everything and I mean everything, went beyond expectations.  So much so we've been on 3 more cruises and are planning several more in the future. 

37 minutes ago, Luv2Cruise1016 said:

Just logged into MVJ based on above and my Wishlist is still there just as it has been.

I just did the same thing for our upcoming cruise.  The Wish List is there and I can still add, delete, and view it.

You find it not under the List of Shore Excursions by Day.  You go to the Menu bar on the far left, look down to the section titled YOUR CRUISE and the 3rd of 4 choices is titled "Wish List".   Click and you are there.

31 minutes ago, mduffy1834 said:

After lots of research for our upcoming TA on the Norwegian Epic in April, we finally settled on using Spain Day Tours' Cadiz to Seville Tour.  It had everything we wanted and the price was fantastic.

 

The only hold back may be the timing.  We are set to dock at 10am and the excursion is set to leave at 10:15am. 

 

Has anyone done this excursion - should I be worried that I will not make the tour?

 

Thanks for any insights

We've done Spain Day Tours before and they are good.  In fact, we were going to take a look at them for our visit to Cadiz (and going to Seville) next fall.  I would think this is a bit tight since usually ships take a bit to clear and then let people off.  Would they consider waiting for you for another 15 minutes?  How fixed are they on the departure time?  Let us all know how it turns out!

On 2/15/2020 at 6:22 AM, Cyber Kat said:

Interesting - because we just booked this cabin for a Caribbean cruise next spring.  We have been booking PV1s but we were looking for something cheaper and close to home for that spring cruise.  I’d been looking at other lines (shhh don’t tell) because Viking usually leaves the Caribbean by the end of March. We did the West Indies Explorer a couple of years ago at the end of March and we had some stress about a late season blizzard back home.  My husband said he was never cruising in snow season again 😝

 

I wasn’t finding anything interesting, so I expanded my search to March thinking maybe I’ll find something at the very end into April.  I found an Iconic Southern on Viking Sky. I mentioned it, but the price for our customary PV was more than we wanted to spend.

 

The very next morning I get an email from Viking with a special offer for guests booked on another cruise.  (They really are psychic!) I looked again at the price.  The PV was still too high, but the DV was doable.  I mentioned it again.  My husband said, “On Viking?”  My answer was, “Yes, but it’s March 9, and you didn’t want to cruise in March.”

 

He said, “but it’s Viking!”  I said, “yes, but we have to do have to do a DV with no couch, no liquor in the mini bar, and the closet by the bed.”  He said, “but it’s Viking!”  
 

I said, “It’s ports we’ve done before.”  He said, “but it’s Viking!”
 

LOL I found 5110 was available and we love the aft or aft wraps, and that was the clincher for me.  My husband simply said, “but it’s Viking!”

We booked it!  Hoping it’s a good room. We do like deck 5!

Love the commentary!  Great story and thanks for sharing.

We also have done the Caribbean on Viking Sea and have pondered doing another Caribbean cruise where the focus would be to just relax and not be worried about seeing all the ports.

You mentioned special email offers from Viking for being already booked on another cruise.  Interesting.  We've had cruises on Viking booked into the future, and have NEVER had any email offers of any kind from Viking.  Wondering if they total up all the cruises or revenue you have had with Viking and you have to hit some sort of bar to qualify for special offers.

30 minutes ago, annxstitch said:

Thank you for the info.  We are going on the Iguazu Falls pretour, really the main reason I chose this cruise.  The hotel is in the park and it seems the falls can be seen from spots in the hotel.  Thank you again for taking the time

Wonderful!  We did Iguazu Falls post trip (on our own) and stayed at the Gran Melia in the park.  It was fabulous.  And yes, you can see the falls from varioius places in the hotel - especially the huge infinity pool.  Enjoy!!

7 hours ago, cruisesport said:

Would prefer a large slider than a window. I have seen the window version. Not a fan. But we will probably

never again be in a PV, so will just enjoy it.

We agree - it depends on personal preference.   We personally enjoy the sliders.  We feel it gives us more visual space out the cabin and makes it feel larger.   When we book, we look at the map of sliders and try to pick one of those rooms. 

1 hour ago, annxstitch said:

I am taking this cruise Feb 2021.  This will be our 2nd Viking Ocean cruise and we loved the first.  My biggest complaint with Viking is that they will not inform you of the costs of the excursions as soon as you book.  Is there anyone with the information of the current costs of the excursions on the 2020 sailings.  Also if you have had great experiences I would love to hear about them.  Thank you so much in advance.

We were also on the Dec 21 Valpo-Buenos Aires Cruise as Mich3554.   Agree that it all depends on your interest - and it will definitely change from this year to your cruise in 2021.  They do take into account the reviews and make changes in the offerings both in type and cost.  However, if this helps, I did save some of the excursion offerings on our ship.  We did take some independent tours as well.

2020 0106 Mon- Buenos Aires.pdf

2019 1222 Sun - Valparaiso.pdf 2019 1227 Fri - Punta Arenas.pdf 2019 1228 Sat - Ushuaia.pdf 2020 0102 Thu - Puerto Madryn.pdf 2020 0105 Sun - Uraguay.pdf

On 1/25/2020 at 10:10 AM, just_dont said:

The pattern is two sliders, two doors repeating.

I believe each pair is a mirrored pair with one having the bed feet forward and the other feet aft.

Port (even numbers) and Starboard (odd numbers) are identical.

 

just_dont - it certainly appears that way (2 sliders, two doors repeating).  I hadn't noticed that.

Posted last year by someone - this document has proven valuable!  When reserving a room, Viking person even told us we weren't supposed to have that knowledge and wondered how we got it.

Here is the list of PV Sliders (again).

Viking Ocean - PV Rooms with Sliders.pdf

53 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

Just to be clear for those of you who are new to Viking: while the chocolate nights happen regularly, they are not included on every sailing. It does make them a very special event.

We had been on 3 Viking Ocean Cruises and never a chocolate event - we didn't even know about them.  Then on our last cruise last month they did it (unfortunately it started at 10:00 PM - but it was well attended, not by us though - can't do caffeine that late).  Hopefully they'll do a chocolate afternoon sometime!  (I put that in the suggestion box 🙂 )

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Yeah, but we can't count on having the same fantastic guide that you had.

 

And, in any case, we did the Lucca on your own tour, which meant we were on our own for most of the time and were only guided from the entrance gate (Lucca is a walled city) to the place where we would meet up again at the end of the tour, about 15 minutes of guiding --and a most enjoyable afternoon in spite of the January rain.

Thank you for all your advice!   It certainly sounds like Lucca (and possibly a combination with Pisa) might be the way to go.

I did not hear from anyone who took a private independent tour (yet), but perhaps they might tend to only look at cruisecritic for their specific roll call to get with people to fill those private tours.

I do however, like the thought of no stress, and not worrying about getting back to the ship (taking a Viking excursion).  We've only done private tours when we were doing an overnight or when there was quite bit of time (like 3-4 hours) before sailing to give us a cushion.

9 minutes ago, Squawkman said:

In November, we did the Viking 4.5 hour tour to Lucca and highly recommend it. Viking also offers a 8.5 hour tour which includes Pisa. Here’s Viking’s description which we found fairly accurate:
 

A Medieval Italian Gem -- Explore Lucca, a small medieval town steeped in history and culture. Sheltered by the remains of the fortress walls, Lucca offers breathtaking scenery in the heart of Tuscany. Begin your tour with a scenic drive. Upon arrival, your escort will lead you to the town center. Here, you will explore on your own the pedestrianized Renaissance wall walkways, palaces and pretty piazzas. Majestically rising to dominate the skyline in the main piazza is the stunning Duomo. Admire the oval-shaped amphitheater, built on foundations of an ancient Roman site and surrounded by some of Lucca’s finest examples of ancient architecture from the 4th century. The magnificent octagonal Baptistery of St. John stands in both the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza San Giovanni. Wander the quaint streets, browse the shops and admire the picturesque surroundings before you meet up with your Viking Representative to head back to your ship.

Thanks!  Do you remember what they cost?  (the 4.5 and 8.5 hour tours)

40 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I'm hoping Viking doesn't spoil us too much for other lines - mainstream is definitely a little easier on the budget 😄 

 

 

Ha!  We had the same hope (that we wouldn't be spoiled too much).  Happily though, after 4 VOC's and 4 more upcoming, we have been spoiled like crazy!  And we love it!  I hope that you'll also be spoiled and will thoroughly enjoy your VOC! 

We are on the Viking Sky this October and will be in port in Livorno Italy for just the day (8:00 am - 8:00 pm).

I'm sure that many of you have done this port so I am wondering what types of excursions have you done that can be accomplished in the single day, since this is NOT an overnight port for us (I know many Viking itineraries have it as an overnight, but not ours).

We are doing Florence for 4 nights pre-cruise (that starts in Rome/Citavecchia) so we don't want anything with Florence in it.

Anyone do Viking excursions?

Anyone recommend any small private excursions?

Thanks in advance for any tips/advice.

6 hours ago, Beachvue said:

We will be disembarking our Viking cruise in BA and staying at the Hilton.  Are taxis readily available  and close by the cruise terminal?   Approximate cost to Hilton?   Would also appreciate any recommendations for day tours in BA.  Thank you.   

Hi Beachvue - I'm certain that people on our cruise took a taxi to the Hilton from BA port.

Taxis at the port are a little different (than the rest of Buenos Aires).  There is the Taxi Mafia at the port so you have to sort of watch yourselves.  We took a taxi from the port to the AEP (the regional airport).  When you exit the terminal building you are swamped with the mafia trying to get you into their taxi (at inflated prices of course!).  We had to be firm to the point of rudeness.  One of them even held our taxi door open (while we were in it) and wouldn't close it until we gave him $USD.  The poor driver on the way to the airport apologized quite a bit for the boorish behavior of many of the taxis that "hang out" at the port.

Just beware.

Another option may be to arrange ahead of time with the HIlton for a transfer.  They do that, but it is a little more $, but perhaps it is worth it.

We highly recommend Frank's AsadoAdventure tour!  (You can find it on TripAdvisor as well as other posts on CruiseCritic if you search).   We also took 2 extremely well done "free" walking tours from the Orange Shirts.  One of the historic sites and one up to Recoleta Cemetery.  Guides were among the best we've seen on free city tours (you pay in tips) and we've done many of them in big cities over the past years.

5 minutes ago, PlanoTim said:

We arrived in Miami on Viking Sky yesterday.  It took less than 15 minutes to exit the terminal (Terminal J) once we departed the ship.  We gathered our luggage and waited maybe 5 minutes behind just a few people to see the immigration/customs officers (there were 2).  The one we went to reviewed our passports, asked us about how much we spent on items we were bringing back into the country, and then sent us in our way.  We have Global Entry but I didn’t see any kiosks at all.

 

Hope that helps some.
Tim
 

Thanks, Tim!  That helps.  Sounds painless!

On 2/2/2020 at 7:17 AM, deec said:

I think on the newest ships there is a cooking station in that area now too. Anyone from the Orion or Jupiter can you comment.

 

 

Just got off the Jupiter and yes, the "station" opposite the Aquavit Bar is indeed a wonderful choice, among many choices!  We would always go there first just to see what they had that evening.  We got to know the "chef" there quite well!  (They also did custom omelettes in the morning, and pasta at lunch).  The best part about the station is that it took some traffic away from the main part of the World Cafe and you could tell the flow difference.  A great idea!  Hope that put it on the new Venus as well (Orion has it too).

12 hours ago, THR said:

Thanks! We are doing London to Bergen route (as Venus doesn’t go the other way it would seem).

Hi THR -

We are doing the London to Bergen route on the Viking Sun leaving June 27, so that's about halfway between your two choices.  Due to our schedules, we really only had 2 choices, that one or the Jupiter on June 28 that went Bergen to London.

We picked London to Bergen because we wanted to finish in Bergen and see some more sights.   We are also going to have a few days in London ahead of time (we've been many many times but always find something new to see/do there).

I hope that all of our weather this June/July in Norway is good, but one never knows.

We did the Homelands Cruise on the Sky in April/May 2018 and had the most spectacular unusually warm sunny weather in Norway (and nearly all the other ports as well!).  Everyone told us how fortunate we had been.

1 hour ago, Pat FT said:

On our cruise we had one rough sea day, the day we went between the Falklands and Cape Horn.  We had "ideal" conditions going around Cape Horn.  The crew claimed it was the best weather they had seen going around the Horn.  It was windy and cloudy with some light rain and rainbows at times, but the sea were too bad.  The day before had been much rougher.  We could see the lighthouse and monument at the southern part of the Cape. 

 

As far as seeing animals, we saw many more animals on our Patagonia pre-extension and our Galapagos post extension.  While on the cruise we did see penguins, condors and guanacos  in Punta Tombo.  We saw lots of different sea birds, one pod of dolphins, and one otter while on the ship.  We also saw sea lions in Valparaiso.

 

I have been to both Alaska and Norway and this cruise while in the fjords and around Ushuaia is very similar in scenery to both of those.  The lakes district in Chile (Puerto Montt area) is very similar to Oregon and Washington with all the volcanos.  The Argentine side around Punta Madryn is a huge desert and not very scenic, but that is where a lot of the animals we saw are located. As far as the cost with so many sea days goes... I liked learning about all the culture and history of the area and seeing what that area of the world was like for myself.  

 

Hope this helps you make your decision about whether to book this cruise or not.  

 

Pat

Pat -

We were on the Dec 21 Valpo-BA cruise.  We also had a rough cruise day going from Puerto Montt south when we went out to the open Pacific, but doing the Fjords and Beagle Channel were much better.  Cape Horn was a bit rough but the trip to the Falklands and back was relatively calm!  Guess we were lucky. 

We did the Peninsula Vales tour in Puerto Madryn.  You are right - it was very desolate, but we did see quite a bit of wildlife, and then of course the sea lions and penguins.

The beauty of this cruise was seeing sights, culture, and people that are so different from that in Europe (such a common desitination) or what we have back at home.  It is why we travel!

8 hours ago, chrisbu315 said:

If you are a seafood lover, the buffet had king crab legs, shrimp, and sushi everyday.  Many passengers would start their dinner with a seafood course in the buffet before going to dinner in one of the formal restaurants.

Yes - the seafood was spectacular!

We had a habit also of doing 6 pm appetizers in the World Cafe, with wine of course.  Sushi and shrimp.  This particular SA cruise on Jupiter had the best Sushi chef we've had on many Viking Cruises!

Then we'd take a break and go back for dinner later on at any of the venues!!

A wonderful way to enjoy all the great food on Viking in the evening!!!  And yes, seafood lovers can rejoice.

2 hours ago, deec said:

Was most of the trip warm enough to use the pools (open roof)?  Thinking of this trip mostly to escape Northern Winter!!

We did the Dec 21 Valpo to BA cruise. 

It was often quite windy and cool out and the roof was open just some of the time - but still pleasant.

We were fortunate to visit every port, including the Falklands.  We only had one really "difficult" sea day and that was when we went outside the fjords for a bit into the open Pacific Ocean (it is the only way to get south from Puerto Montt).  We were rewarded with spectacular fjords cruising.  Unlike the Jan 7th cruise (where the poster above said people complained they weren't seeing fjords), we had no one upset at all.  The captain told us what we were going to do and everyone's expectations were just fine.  The Amalia Glacier and the Beagle Channel were worth the trip alone! As was the Falkland Islands.

We went to Iguazu Falls after arriving in Buenos Aires - and albeit expensive, was every bit as impressive as we'd read about!  So glad we made the effort to see them!