It's a Fair Port

We did both have to purchase the beverage package. He did not mind, as we stopped for beverages throughout the day and he was able to enjoy whatever he wanted even it it wasn't meal time. Ginger ale and OJ was a favorite of his and I dubbed it a mock Mimosa! We also spent time before and after dinner in the Explorers Lounge and at some shows, so his non-alcoholic drinks and my wine were always free. Now that they have dropped the price it is not so prohibitive for a non drinker to consider.

We will be sailing in a DV this time vs. the PV (😰) so I am wondering if you felt that the Silver Spirits Package was a good investment? We are not heavy drinkers....that said, when on Vacation we tend to step it up a bit!

Good to know that rearranging the room opened it up a bit! I did see another post regarding that and it sounds like a good idea!

Vineyard View, I am not a heavy drinker either but am fussy about my wine. 😊 The wine upgrades IMHO were worth it. It was also nice to be able to order a cold adult beverage upon returning from a hot shore excursion, before dinner, or at a show without charges adding up, so I would say it is worth it especially now that it has been dropped to apt $20/day.

I concur with Becki. We requested certain alcohol mini's (such as no gin, just vodka & rum) as well as specific sodas and that was what they replenished for us daily. No issues whatsoever. There were also cans of beer. We didn't ask for wine so can't speak to that as we enjoyed that option with meals.

 

I also agree that the cruises we have been on (always with a balcony) include the balcony in total square feet.

 

The good news is that you have many cruise lines to choose from. Few companies, if any, have 100% retention rates.....I believe Viking to be among those cruise lines in the highest range.....but there may be another out there that would suite your specific expectations better. We were not happy with another line for specific reasons and we were in their highest possible suite.I hope you are able to find that line that works for you. We are happy with Viking and have booked a 4th trip with them for late this year.

We were DV2 with Silver Spirits package on West Indies Explorer. The first day I requested rose wine for me and Ginger Ale for my husband who is a non drinker. We received premium Ginger Ale and tonic water (Schweppes) and wine was replenished as needed.

We also had no difficulties with the size of cabin. We rearranged the coffee table/chair arrangement to create a bit more floor space and the room was great.

What happens if you don't get on the flight due to no cancellation, because you gave up your seats on the later flight , right

They do not remove you from the later flight until you clear standby. I was concerned about that too.

Boy, I sure wish they would have booked us on a flight that early. We have to kill time until the afternoon until we fly out of San Juan.

We were on a 5:00 flight and were at the airport at 10 am. The airport wasn't crowded so we went to Delta to see if we could get an earlier flight. We waitlisted for a 2 pm to ATL and it was well worth the $50 extra not to have to sit around any longer. At least in ATL we were able to wait for our late connection home in Comfort at the Sky Club. Check with your airline and see if you can do something similar. SJU is not an exciting place to sit around.

Anyone know what complimentary wines are served on the West Indies Explorer? I am hoping for a nice dry rose. If that isn't on the complimentary offerings, I may have to go for the upgrade.

These are wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to post. They will be a great help in planning!

Thanks for the great video review.

Great tour and helpful tips! Thank you. :)

I would love to see these also and even a review of some of the excursions. We leave in 20 days!

We will be on the West Indies Explorer in a few weeks so we are anxiously awaiting your review as it does not appear that anyone on the first sailing has posted a review yet. Any information that you provide will be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures of the Owner's Suite. It is certainly out of our price range.

Thanks for the beautiful photos. Anxious for your review, too, as we leave on 11/27!

Thanks for your input! Was the cost per day indeed $19.99. Was surprised to see this in Chris Owens postings when everywhere else we read $29.

I have just been readin Chriscruises.com for the reviews of West Indies Explorer trip we will be taking. He is saying the beverage package for this trip is $19.99/day and both passengers do not have to take it. Apparently Caribbean beer is also free throughout the day from what he has written.

Thanks for the advice. I am guessing on the 10:30 based on what I have read about some of the other Viking Ocean cruises. Hopefully it won't be a really early departure. Sitting on my luggage for 3-4 hours as it is wouldn't be my first choice of how I would like to end a vacation. Because the air was booked with Viking I would hope that they kept things like airport issues in mind, but time will tell. Have posted as suggested on the SanJuan board and will see what I hear there.

This is our first cruise so hopefully these questions will not sound too stupid! We are booked on a 5 pm flight on Delta to return home after our Viking Ocean Cruise. How early will we be able to check our bags? If we cannot check them, is there a storage area where we might leave them so that we can go and do something? Does the airport have adequate comfortable seating (before and after security clearance) while we are in all likelihood stuck there for several hours waiting for our flight? Haven't been thru this airport in at least 20 years so don't know quite what to expect. Thanks for any information or advice more seasoned cruisers may have.

Our return flight is not until 5 pm. If we have to be off the Star by 10:30 am, will we be able to check luggage at airport and spend some time in town? Does anyone know what the airport facilities are like if we can't check luggage and are stuck there. Haven't been to SJU in about 20 years and am hoping it has improved since then.

What types of alcohol are stocked? In the DV categories what are the charges for wine or liquor in the fridge?

Hi Sitti,

We were on the Sea in April on deck 6 right at the elevator and stairs. We never heard a sound no matter what time of day. Actually loved the location, because of the convienence to both. Will definitely try for same location on our next cruise.

Thanks Teah for the information. We are booked in 6066 for a November cruise on the Star and I was a bit concerned about noise from that and the restaurant above. Appreciate your insight.

The reading list is on the Viking Oceans website for each cruise. Look for the Resources link and you will find Recommended Readings for your particular cruise.

Senior Gators. -it sure sounds like you have this figured out! As I mentioned, we always have used miles when we travel international - cruise or non-cruise. One of these days that isn't going to work....or there may be a different way to approach it.....which brings a question to mind - do you know, with Viking's custom air, are you then able to use miles to upgrade into Economy plus or Business classes?

We are using the free air promotion from July for a November cruise and even using the $50 pp Viking Air Plus to get our preferred airline (and paying $200 pp to get an outbound flight on that airline) we were unable to use miles to upgrade to business. Will see what happens when finally ticketed to see if we can deal with airline for upgrade. Don't know if this helps!

We are doing our first ocean cruise this fall but have booked free air thru Viking for river cruises and have been pleased with their service and flights/connections.

Also, it is my understanding that room service is included in the cruise cost. Someone in an earlier post or a review had a room service menu attached and there were no $ on it.