CDNPolar

We love Aaron. We have cruised three times with Aaron as Cruise Director.

If you are not using Viking Air Plus, your flights will populate in MyVikingJourney about 120 days+ out from departure. Then you have time in MVJ to "play" with options and if you still don't like what is there then you can add Air Plus and talk to them. Just make sure to make any changes before the flights actually ticket in MVJ - which is from 75-90 days out - or you will have change fees assessed if you make the changes after they have ticketed. When they first populate in MVJ and until 75-90 days out, they are just options. They are not ticketed.

Yes, sorry, Viking Air Plus. When you are talking to the reservations department that are telling you this, they really have nothing to do with booking air. In my posts when I talk Viking Air, using Viking Air, calling Viking Air, I am always referring to Viking Air Plus. This is a paid for service and regardless of whether you have paid your cruise fare in full, you must pay for Air Plus before that department will talk to you. Most airlines release their initial schedules up to 310 - 320 days out. We start to investigate and track what flights we want at 300 days and then call Viking Air Plus.

Hey! Welcome to Cruise Critic! Let us know the cruise line and the ship. Sometimes it depends on the ship, the line, and where you are cruising, but more over whether a Captain will allow some tours. We have done galley, bridge, and what I will call the Engine Control Room. The latter was the best in my opinion seeing all the control panels and all the systems that were being monitored. We have also done the wheelhouse on a river cruise ship. Not as spectacular as the ocean ship, but interesting none the less. We have been on cruises that they advertised you to sign up for these, some cruises that if you asked they would quietly let you know that they were doing them but not advertising them, and then on some sailings that we asked and they were not available.

Love that you would do this, and think that this is the thing to be done, but for me this is too forward and 'confrontational' even if the bagging party is not present.

Clay, we were only in one of these "basement" cabins as I tend to call them on the Douro River which does not sail at night, only during daylight hours, so noise was never an issue for us. I personally would think that Hull noises would be more in low water levels rather than high, but that is a crap shoot at any time on a River cruise. What concerned me more was we did this cruise before covid, and then after stories of folks confined to their cabins for extended periods when covid hit big time, I thought I would go mad in a cabin that I could not open a window. So we have only done french balconies post covid. I have lived in many highrise buildings over my adult years in big cities and there are those buildings that have balconies and those that don't. I need that balcony. On the river ship, I am fine with french balcony, but I need that opening window. Personally I found these cabins slightly claustrophobic.

I cannot get over the fact that the title of this thread - Shelter and Hide - made me think of a safe room from disaster....

Exactly.... it has been said many times before that Viking have these payment terms because they can. OR, because they could... I read above here somewhere where an ocean ship only had some 700 something guests? Not typical of Viking for sure... so perhaps this is a trend starting?

I have seen on returning from excursions bag search after XRay and alcohol taken...

Wow! Exciting for you and family! Getting out and seeing the world is the most amazing thing! Thanks for sharing. Aside from your questions now, we will expect a full review when you return.

Yes, if you are booking cruises and packages that this agency actually represents, then the savings are significant. Agreed. The challenge is that our preferred line is not bookable through this TA.

I was not suggesting that a TA would not get you this because it would decrease their commission, I said that since they ARE getting a commission this is part of their job to get you that price reduction if it is available.

Agree with you here. I cannot tell you how many people I know that never buy medical when they travel. "Oh, I am healthy and don't expect to get sick." Yeah, well, you are also the one that is zip-lining, parasailing, and other extreme sports, which by the way, most medical insurance does NOT cover accidents or injury from these sports. You could also fall anywhere and break a limb. You don't have to have a pre-existing condition to need medical insurance when you travel.

Some cruise lines yes, will take it from you at boarding, but some allow you to bring liquor or wine with you. Some ocean lines do, and many river cruises do.

For the very first time after several River Cruises, we wanted to sit in the Aquavit on a Viking ship because I had been sick, but was feeling better, and just did not want to sit with 6 or 8 others... We had looked in the Aquavit a few nights around the time of the port talk and all the tables were reserved with some small thing on the table. This night in particular, we thought we scored as there was one table of four that was seemingly open so we grabbed it. Shortly after we sat there was a bit of a "situation" as apparently a party of four had typically reserved this every day and they were late back from excursion and did not claim the table before us. We were asked by crew if we would move to a table for two instead - which was by all accounts also reserved with stuff on the table but the crew removed the stuff. We objected that the table we were at was "un-reserved" and the table that they were moving to had someones stuff on it, but the crew insisted that this was fine. We moved, and the party of four took their table. This was totally about the self-selected special people that are on these ships and feel entitled over others. I do wish that these venues would be first come first served similar to when the dining room opens. However on that note, it is not uncommon for one of a party to leave the port talk before it is over to be first in line when the dining room opens so that they can get "their table".

Agree with you on this, but with Viking I have personally witnessed others with major flight issues that Viking did take care of for those that they booked for. Others were on their own. If you are flying with Viking Air, there is a 24 hour emergency line that you are given that if any flight delay or issue then they take over for you... I have not had to use this myself, but as I mentioned, I have seen and talked to many on Viking cruises that Viking has stepped in and taken care of flight issues. This is one benefit of Viking Air.

Can't wait to experience this on the Viking Expedition Ships!

The thing is to me that rarely are we comparing apples to apples. Viking inclusions may not be what someone wants, but then Crystal extra charges may be something one wants. I think that for us we started cruising on Viking and loved it and we stick with Viking. We also find here on CC that most people - not all - are brand loyal. I personally think that a decision for a cruise should start with two things: 1) The Itinerary 2) The TOTAL budget - everything that you can spend including air and even pre/post extensions Once you have these two things figured out then apply them to the different lines and make a choice.

Never been hot on Viking Ocean, but on Viking River I find the dining room and the lounge to be almost unbearably hot especially at dinner and after dinner.

Since you started this discussion and this is your first cruise, when do you leave? I can sense the excitement in your words.... We love, love, love cruising. Hope you will too!

Just know that Viking is not trying to charge you more than what you can get on your own... Viking first has rates that are contract and what you want is outside the contract rates. Also outside the contract rates are any flights that are a deviation from the arriving the day of embarkation and departing the day of disembarkation. Then there is the charge to use Viking Air. I am not suggesting that you don't know all this at this point but want to clarify for others reading this discussion. If you are within the Viking contract rates, then often the Viking air is a great deal. We have free air coming up and we are just going economy on 7 hour flights. We decided to go with the flow and just take the offer.

This is the place for you to ask and get great information! Welcome!

Not saying that this is or was the case, but something to consider.... If you have ships Wifi engaged on your phone and you are also accessing the eSIM data, sometimes it does not work well because your phone is moving from one to the other. I find that when in port, and the eSIM data is accessible that I must disable the ship Wifi connection for everything to work properly.

It is good to have real life experiences... Thank you for this.

@FlyerTalker Do you have any advice here?