CDNPolar

We are smaller ships with no kids. Viking is our choice. 930 guests on an Ocean Ship.

I have done some Googling and it would appear that CFAR is not available in the UK. One of the things that I have noted however is that CFAR insurance is often offered by the cruise line or the tour company directly if you buy their insurance policies. In this case most of the time, it is not cash back but a credit that you hold with the cruise line and they keep your money. Check the travel insurance offered by your cruise line or tour company to see if CFAR is included. If it is an option, it generally must be purchased at the time of booking or very shortly after booking.

In the past year we have had to cancel two sets of air tickets. The first was with EVA and the route was Toronto to Cambodia, Vietnam to Toronto. We cancelled these flights for $200 per ticket. We bought this fare and cancelation option purposely and it was only marginally more expensive than a fare with a credit. The second was just recently and these were with Korean Air and these were Toronto to Shenyang and then Shenyang to Toronto. These had a $250 per ticket cancelation but because there were minor changes to the flight schedules they allowed cancellation for no fee. Again, these fares with cancelation refund were purchased purposely in case... There are fares out there if you are booking far enough in advance that include cancelation. The question is are you going to pay for cancelation insurance or a slightly higher fare with the option to cancel. With both of these the increased fare was cheaper than insurance.

Really - I had not looked at there being a difference between River and Ocean. Interesting....

This is all about the contract rate. I don't believe - others will correct me if I am wrong - that there is one class that Viking books under. I have had flights that I could upgrade with Viking because of the class and flights that I could not upgrade because of the class. Airline miles are based on fare class. You won't know this until you book. Same answer as above. Two ways to do air with Viking: 1) Wait until the air is selected for you and posted in MVJ - this is usually about 150 days from departure. Now you have about 60 days to "play" with your air choices on MVJ until they ticket the air that is selected for you. Once the air selections on MVJ are ticketed, then you are dealing with change fees potentially to both Viking and the airline. 2) Use Viking Air Plus from the start. Pay for Viking Air Plus ($150pp) and research your flights and then call in and give the agent your preferred itinerary. If your choices are available within Viking contract rates, they will book them for you and then you have your desired itinerary. If not within contract rates, they will offer you a fee to pay for what you want, or an alternative. You can also in option "1" move to Viking Air Plus once selected flights are in MVJ if you cannot modify them to your liking. Some have suggested that Viking Air Plus is going away. I don't believe that this is the case. Adding the functionality on MVJ to modify your own air is the DIY'ers version of Viking Air Plus. For others that want more help, you still have Viking Air Plus. We have always used Viking Air Plus in the past and for the first time we are anxiously awaiting to see what flights will pop up for our next cruise. The only downside to this is that we have generally always gotten the flights/seats that we want by booking as much as 270-300 days out with Viking Air Plus. This is a trial for us.

We love the beds. We sleep so well on Viking ships - River or Ocean. Part of that could be the 20,000 steps we do on excursions and exploring each day, but we find the bed very comfortable.

We used a TA for an expedition cruise. We used her for her supposed expertise, and there were fees involved to her agency if we cancelled. We called her for the next cruise and she informed us that there was a $150 charge for the research, and then a fee schedule came by email for all her other fees. Fees for research, fees for booking, fees for amendments to the booking... the list went on. I believe that TA's are getting less and less in commissionable earnings. I do not believe that they get anything today from Airlines, and very little from hotels, unless you are booking a package tour of air and hotel. We only work with agencies that do not charge us but we do all our air and hotel ourselves, and only use the TA for the OBC on a cruise ship.

Because major international airlines still have restrictions the demand is high as others have said. With family in mainland China, we find it hard to find an ECONOMY return through Beijing or Shanghai (then an internal flight to home city) for under $3,500 to $4,000 and pre-pandemic we could get this for $900 - $1,200 Also, our experience is Japan is more costly to and from China. This is our experience. Our best pricing recently has been through South Korea.

Would I assume that they employ Life Guards? Or, at the very least there is someone there overseeing the operation?

Welcome to Cruise Critic! The members above this post have give you great advice. There is no magic pill. You may miss a deal that a TA may not. A TA may not know of a deal at all. Some cruise lines don't always have deals. We personally look at itineraries that we are interested in. We look at the price and consider going early and hotel/meals, transportation to and from airports, flights, etc., and then if this is in our budget we book it. To us it is not always about the "deal" it is about our budget and if we really want this cruise or not. Once we settle on an itinerary and a cruise line, we will price online, through the cruise line, and then perhaps through a TA. We however sail mostly on Viking so we know that the price we are getting is generally always the best price on the market so we book direct, then transfer the booking to our TA for the OBC.

Yes, OBC or SBC can be used to pay gratuities. I think that the most recent calculation I did was in CANADIAN Dollars $25 per night per person. This is probably $18 USD per night per person.

We rarely travel with jeans at all. In fact, I don't remember the last time we took jeans with us on any trip. They are exactly that - heavy and not comfortable. We have travel clothing that is durable enough for any excursion, and can also pass for elegant casual onboard. This is an investment that we have made over time.

Most smartphones today you can "drop a pin" when you are departing the ship and then you can run your GPS or map app to direct you back to the ship. The other oldie but goodie is to either take a picture of the ships location on the Daily activity sheet, or most guest service desks have cards that you can pick up with the location and the ships phone number. You can then ask a local to guide you.

Glad that it worked out for you overall. Regarding the coaches, I personally would never complain that it was too cold because we have been on our share of coaches that are so hot that you can hardly take it and that has been in a number of locations.

This is very interesting to me because we have this very pre-extension booked for March of 2025. I have read your review against the information Viking provide, and without any illusions, Viking don't promise more than what you got. The second day of the pre-extension it says that your "day is free to explore more of Bangkok" but what it does not tell you is that because of the time you would leave the hotel you would have to be up at 5am and out exploring to be back in time to get on the bus.... I am not speaking against you, I am simply comparing what you are bringing in reality to Viking's description of the pre-extension package and whether there is any value in purchasing this. We purchased this because we thought we would want to see more of Bangkok than the one day of the ship's itinerary. We are now going to look at this seriously and decide if we will keep this. If we do on our own in CAD it would be approximatey: Taxi (Pre-arranged) Airport to Shangri La - $200.00 Shangri-La Basic room 2 nights - $700.00 Transport to Cruise Terminal - $200.00 One day tour in Bangkok - $200.00 We paid $1,600.00 CAD - To do on own will cost give or take $1,300.00 CAD not including any meals (Viking only include 2 breakfast). No matter how you look at this, I think that it would cost us near the same and we don't have to consider booking any transfers. The transfer times back and forth to Bangkok are what they are. I am not going to consider those. However I don't want to spend 2.5 hours today travelling to the ship in the middle of the day and then back again tomorrow after boarding the ship. That equates to 7.5 hours of total time on a bus that I could be spending in Bangkok. The one BIG thing that I might take from this is to stay at the hotel one additional night and board the ship a day later. Wonder if this can be arranged where Viking take us back to the ship one day late. You got this for $600 USD pp, and our cost is $799 CAD which is about right for the conversion from USD to CAD. Now it is on the MVJ as $$1,299.00 CAD pp. Nice price increase. Definitely would not buy this now at the current cost. Here is what is currently on MVJ Extend Your Cruise with 2 Nights in Bangkok From $1,299 Per Person Overview 2 hotel nights in Bangkok (as shown or similar) 2 meals: 2 breakfasts (B) 1 guided tour: Grand Palace & Wat Pho Services of a Viking Host All transfers Itinerary Day 1 - Bangkok Fly to Bangkok and transfer to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may choose to relax or begin exploring the city on your own. A Viking Host is available to help you plan your time in Bangkok so you can make the most of your visit. Day 2 - Bangkok Spend the morning at your leisure. This afternoon, take a guided tour of the Grand Palace, once the royal residence of the Chakri Kings and an excellent example of an ancient Siamese court. Built in 1782, it was the center of power for more than 150 years. Continue on to Wat Pho, one of Thailand’s most well-known temples. Here, you will see a 150-foot-tall reclining Buddha statue, the largest in Bangkok. Finally, stop at a flower market and browse its large selection of orchids. (B) Day 3 - Bangkok Your day is free to explore more of Bangkok, or you may wish to do some shopping—Bangkok offers everything from colorful open air markets to sophisticated shopping malls. Consider visiting Chinatown for some of the city’s best-tasting fare or a farmers’ market to sample local food. See one of the city’s many museums or embark on a traditional longtail boat ride. Or perhaps you would like to join a full-day optional tour to Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. (B) Hotels Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok Located on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, close to the shopping and business districts, this contemporary hotel has six dining options and three bars, a spa and an outdoor pool set amid tropical gardens. Guest rooms combine Thai tradition with modern comfort and are spaciously appointed throughout.

Not our experience at all. We have had great variety of breads especially in the Chef's Table and Manfredi's. Not sure what the World Cafe offers in bread for lunch and dinner because if it is not served to my table, I don't go looking for it. Our experience was crusty outside and soft/chewy inside. Sorry to hear this.... There are other comments here and there about the quality of Viking food declining, perhaps this is also an area of concern?

Yes, what @gnome12 said, and because it is part of Global Entry, if you are returning to Canada and you are transiting through the USA to get home, your transit through whatever airport you land in the USA will be quicker and easier too! Essentially this is the same as returning from the USA when you get to Canada, but without the Nexus you would be relegated to the standard customs / immigration lines when landing in the USA for your connection.

I take both prescription and OTC medications. I generally ONLY travel with these pre-sorted in daily pill organizers and have never been questioned. However, it is really not security in any country that you are concerned about, it is when you get pulled out of the line for more extensive search that you could have to justify what the pill is. This is going to be with the deeper customs search where they are looking for things that are not allowed in the country you are in. I feel very confident because we never get pulled out for additional inspection, but now that I have said that it will likely happen! haha. My opinion. Do your OTC meds have to be in their original bottles? No. Take a picture of the bottle label with a pill beside it and keep these pics in your photo favourites. This is what I do. If you were stopped it is about being able to identify the pill and these customs agents in all countries use websites that show pics of pills. In reality even with the original OTC bottle you could have anything in that bottle. (I do the same with all my prescription meds too) RE your liquid. I have had this issue before and you have two options. Put it in a good strength ziplock back and pack in your checked luggage, or what I have done in the past is buy a travel size (100ml) bottle - or 2 or 3 - and pour the liquid in one or more of these bottles so that you have the amount you need. Just take a sharpie or permanent marker and mark the bottle for its contents.

There are so many discussions about this subject all over CC. Should I book direct or book with a third party - travel agent. Most of the discussions end in a very similar way. Half say that they prefer control over their booking and do it themselves, and the other half like the advice, experience, and guidance of the TA. The other benefit of the TA is the potential of OBC or other perks. We book direct with the cruise line and get everything we want lined up first and then we transfer the booking to one of a couple/few travel services we use. Depending on the cruise line and length of cruise we get different deals with different agents. Once we have booked, transferring the booking is purely what can we gain from the TA. (Note that cruise lines have a time limit for you to move your booking to a TA - miss that time line and you cannot move it)

Everything said above I agree with. Our personal experience... Many people think that the included tours are just superficial city highlights, but we find that walking alone we see things and don't know what their significance is. On the included walking or bus tour, you get a running commentary of the history and the significant sites, monuments, and culture. We learn so much from the included tours. Optional tours we do as well, but they have to be of very specific significance to us to pay extra. The other thing about the optional city walk or bus and shopping/free time, is we will often then separate from the tour and stay in the town or city and return to the ship when we have had our fill. Often the tour shows us what we want to see in more detail. Just be sure to let your guide know if you are separating from the tour so they are not looking for you or waiting for you.

Interesting! The Douro was our first River Cruise and it made us fall in love with River cruising and specifically Viking's river cruises. (We had already done VO) We have had a few diets over the years and on this cruise specifically we were hard core Vegan for perceived and and anticipated health benefits. We were terrified of the food portion of this river cruise because we thought we might be eating salads, potatoes and tomatoes for our complete meal plan. We emailed Viking in advance and got a vague "we will try" answer from them with a disclaimer that they do vegetarian but not vegan. We spoke with the restaurant manager on embarkation and he introduced us to one of his Chefs who specialized in vegan/vegetarian cooking. This was some of the best food we ever had on Viking. The Chef would modify for us or would cook something special for us each night. We most often went with the Chef's offering and we were never disappointed. We cruised with 6 others and they were regular menu and they loved the food. What I saw on each plate looked spectacular and they said it tasted great! We were all pleased with the food. We are not vegan now because too many of the countries that we travel to (APAC region specifically) don't get vegan...and it is just too difficult to travel.

What I love about this discussion is so many people make such great arguments for both cities that I would not know what to choose myself...! Haha. I think that you won't go wrong either way.

Our experience onboard is that Guest Services and Shorex will do what they can to get you on that excursion. Certainly check back before the cruise, but once onboard, go to Guest Services and express your interest. If you are not added by the day before, then after the port talk approach the Shorex Manager after the talk. People regularly cancel or drop out. Note that Viking have a 48 hour rule for cancellation, so your best chance to get on the excursion is 48-72 hours before. If all else fails, we have seen people put on the excursion at the point of boarding the bus. The one type of excursion that may NOT be easy to get on is one that includes a meal where an advance reservation number was given to the restaurant.

Hmmm... possible... Have to look at this. River or Ocean ship? Must be talking River right?

Yep - this was exactly the incident. The daughter of the couple came to our table after orders were given and passed her business card to me. They have a business and wanted to send us product as a thank you. I never followed up because I did not move tables for a payoff, I moved because crew asked but if I had others joining us, I would have stood my ground and stayed at that table.