CDNPolar

Don't think Viking does that.

Makes sense that longhaul and overseas flights are less susceptible to changes. I am sure that for a lot of airlines this is a dependable demand. Most of our flights are overseas and minimum 7-8 hours to 16+ hours at the top end. Perhaps that is why we really have not had this happen to us. Also from Canada for us as cruisers, we live just outside of Toronto, and so we fly direct to most European cities not like friends of ours in the US that have to connect once before getting out of North America.

Interesting about the crew. I am not sure who our crew "belonged" to... They were all 100% Egyptian, and the service and food were both outstanding. That was the best part.

Yes, I think because this interview is not scheduled, you will be subject to how many people are doing the same thing as you that day, and that is something you won't know until you arrive at the interview point.

I kind of agree with this.... I would be a bit creeped out if it was too long ago. I also feel that if there was a desire to be in touch after the cruise at all, you would have exchanged contact information at the time. I also think that it would be about context... are you single, married, partnered? Are you contacting a couple a single, same sex, opposite sex? There could be all kinds of considerations as to what your intent is perceived to be by the person you are contacting. However, today, if people are on social media, and in the public view, there are so many ways to find them. Facebook Twitter (X) Instagram LinkedIn But for these you can spend a lot of time scrolling unless you know first and last name.

Don't disagree with any of these reasons why someone should not cruise... But like the discussion that is live about Misconceptions of cruising, I find that these are just reasons pulled together for a slightly sensational article. But, as I said, I don't disagree with the reasons. However, I can dispute many of them as not true and not reasons to not cruise. The top one on my list is that you don't drink alcohol. Why would that be a reason to not cruise?

Thanks for sharing this! This was really interesting to listen to and understand. It all makes sense. I don't fly American typically, and wonder from your experience, is this typical of all airlines? It is very understandable what he is explaining in this and I would say that similar to what he said about the 90 day window, we see our chosen paid for flights sit where we booked them until about the 90 day or less window and then the change comes. We have been fortunate that we have not been canceled off a flight and put on another. We tend to book 270 -300 days out and we use Air Canada, Lufthansa, British Air, EVA, Delta, and a few others from time to time. What we have experienced is a lot of changes with Delta but we are talking 5 or 10 or 15 minutes change to the departure time. The last Delta changed about 5 times, but only with departure times that were minor and did not impact our travels.

Love that you loved it! I have never been anywhere else in Mexico and it is mostly because PV has kind of spoiled me because it is so gay friendly, walkable, and the food and beaches and water is so amazing. Glad you had such a good time. What was the hotel you stayed in? I have been to a few, but the one we book now is the Sheraton Buganvilias. Big hotel, but they have a Club Floor with no kids and it is away enough from the old town that we feel a little less claustrophobic. We love the old town but it is a bit tight and very people dense. We like to walk around there but don't want to stay there.

I am going to venture to say that you start to get into colder weather when it is not as appealing to travel there, and also rough seas. The onboard shops are not going to have sales, because the ship just relocates to another part of the world and cruises there. There would be no reason to have a sale. As for port shops? Don't know, but maybe the souvenir shops would?

That is / was unfortunate for you. I have experienced this same thing with hotels. The Sheraton Buenos Aires last year showcased beautiful rooms but ours was nothing like the pictures. This is not uncommon with hotels as they will show corporate standard but the BA hotel was badly in need of a refresh. I have fortunately always found Viking Cabins and ships to be in top form and personally never experienced any wear and tear with Viking. I was quite disappointed last year with Uniworld on The Nile because I had always heard that Uniworld ships were beautiful. This ship was not. Tired, old, and bordering on dirty. Not what their marketing builds you up to think you will experience. But, the Nile ships are leased and I think this one had been through several lives before Uniworld leased it.

This will be the first Christmas that my husband and I are on a cruise ship (River Ship) over Christmas. We are anticipating a great meal on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but hope my expectations are not too high. Anyone else cruising over Christmas? We are Amsterdam to Basel on the Rhine with Viking River Cruises.

True... very true, because we have found that we thought Viking was the only one a couple of times, but it is also in marketing speak very well crafted wording that allows them to say what they say. Viking will have a twist on something that is unique to their offering, but it does not mean that no one else offers the same thing, it is just minus Viking's little twist.

You are correct, especially on a Viking ship, wherever your cabin is, you are not far from anything unless you have mobility concerns. We do prefer deck 3 and mid-ship overall.

Very aware of that. Thank you.

I may be incorrect with this statement, but I understand that the "larger" lines and larger ships typically only bring food on in their embarkation port - usually a US port - to control the risk of food borne illness. This I fully understand and support. They have their trusted suppliers and they don't want to take risks. It is a fact that lines like Viking do bring on food and supplies from various ports that they dock at. This would allow for more fresh options. I however see your point.

I may be wrong, but you must 'activate' your new cards when you receive them, and to the best of my knowledge the existing cards you have are valid until you receive and activate the new ones. I personally don't think that you have anything to worry about.... Other thoughts from others that have experienced the same?

This is purely from observation, but I will back this up this coming week when I talk with the Chef. I have sailed Viking River and Ocean. Both in my opinion bring on Fresh Fish in many of the ports that they dock at. Many of the larger lines - bigger ships - will bring on most of their food at the beginning of the sailing and this could mean frozen fish. We have however on both Viking Ocean and River seen fresh fish being brought on at various ports where we have docked. Our knowledge is that Viking have many ports that they refresh their stocks and one of the stocks is fresh fish.

We board on Saturday December 23rd in Amsterdam and sail the Rhine to Basel. Are there any concerns now with either high or low levels that would impact our sailing?

This is all interpretation. This is direct from Viking River website re Dress Code. Yes, it says "casual" but for evening it specifically states "elegant casual" with suggestions. No where does it state that sweat pants and t-shirts are part of "elegant casual". During the day dress is casual but again it does not go into detail. At night it states what is acceptable for elegant casual. One of the problems and this has been discussed many times, is the ships do not enforce dress codes. What is the dress code? During the day, dress is casual including shorts (if the season is warm), slacks or jeans and comfortable shoes for walking tours. There are no “formal nights” in the evening; recommended evening dress is “elegant casual.” For ladies, this may include a dress, skirt or slacks with a sweater or blouse; and for gentlemen, trousers and a collared shirt. A tie and jacket are optional. Some shore excursions visit religious sites that require modesty of dress. To avoid being denied entry, we recommend men wear long pants and refrain from sleeveless shirts; and for women, clothing that covers the knees and tops that are not sleeveless or too revealing.

I am not familiar with these meds and the requirements either. I take three injectables and they are all safe from anywhere around 56 days at room temperature. They specifically state that the temps should not exceed 30C or 86F during that time. Regular room temp is how I store these at home once a syringe is first used. I don't put it back and forth to the fridge. If you are going on a cruise longer than 60 days, then it would be a problem. I have not done it, but I did in the beginning have concerns about storage and emailed Viking and I was told that the medical centre would store them for me on request. I am not asking you to disclose your medication nor am I suggesting that because I don't know what it is that it does not need proper refrigeration, but talk with your pharmacist and get their input because many medications today are manufactured with prolonged storage out of refrigeration in mind.

We only book deck 3 mid-ship on Viking Ocean. We were forward once and had to ask to be moved because the seas were rough and the crashing and motion was bothersome. We are happiest mid-ship and proximity to the elevators does not matter to us. We have never found Viking ships noisy from the elevator lobby. We will walk to the forward elevators to go to spa which we wear our robes, and if we are behind the atrium, then you must walk through the open atrium seating area in your robe... but that is ok. During the afternoon when we generally use the Spa, there are not that many people there.

We arrived in Ushuaia very early as we were a 6am flight from BA. All we got was a bus ride through the town and then dropped off. We found our own restaurant for lunch and basically walked around. We were far too early for embarkation and had to return to the bus by a certain time and driven to the ship which was a stones throw, but we were told in NO UNCERTAIN TERMS to NOT walk to the ship, only go with the bus. I don't think they want you on board before a certain time. Cannot answer most of your other questions... The flight back to BA from Ushuaia is part of the cruise fare, so you could forego that but you won't get any refund or discount. I guess that it really depends on whether you want to spend time in BA or not and whether the flight or transport to Chile is more from Ushuaia or BA?

You would wonder wouldn't you....

Ok - gotcha! This was done to get the bag to the next destination to meet you. I see. Probably also a way to highlight to airline and airport staff that this bag is redirected and to stand out for that reason?

When I say what I said, I am not talking about well fitting, clean, relatively new and in good condition t-shirts, shorts, and sweatshirts. There should be some common sense used here. I am talking about raggedy old ill fitting clothing that is for the back garden on a Saturday, not for a cruise ship dinner. I have seen much of this that is inappropriate in my opinion. This is the same challenge that Corporate North America has with casual Friday. Some understand what the dress code means and some do not.