OnTheJourney

Granted, but at the least sailing with recommended oil levels would have been a pretty easy means of very likely avoiding the entire situation. That was at least a big part of the "specifics" of the failure it would seem. But then, bright side is that there would never have been an amazing invitational cruise without the incident. My brother is still jealous of our helicopter rescue....

"technical failure"....uh-huh. As Torstein admitted during our invitational cruise, "human error", pure and simple - which in turn LED to various technical issues.

Doing well, JD. Hope the same for you! So ironic that you posted this cause I was just corresponding with a cruiser friend of mine today about our 2019 adventure and got to re-reading some of the lengthy report from back in Sept. '21. Got me thinking about it all cause we're going to (finally) use our vouchers later this month on the Mississippi! Indeed! This is what I was just telling my friend about, that the final report has not yet been made public. I think we're done with Viking for awhile after this upcoming river trip, and actually probably done with cruising for maybe a year or two. After the hectic nature of the last two years with rescheduled / rebooked trips crammed in closer together than we like, we need a time out from some of it. Looking to maybe do more in the way of car trips, probably including fly/drive, which I really enjoy. Since our daughter moved to Irvine last summer, we've not seen her since. So one of these times that'll be high up on the list to get out there for a visit. Not sure how many more 'across the pond' trips we'll be doing either. Age and a few health-related issues ever so gradually make their presence felt. We should done some real long-distance destination trips (that I've always hoped to do) shortly after retirement instead of leaving them on hold. Now, not sure that they'll happen. DW is becoming increasingly averse to long-haul flights.

Thought I had more than just one picture from the inside of the plane, but only came across this one of the B-class cabin. We flew direct from JFK to EZE. Food, as I recall, was great also. As I said, there were very mixed reviews on the economy cabin. Then again, my experience was 6 years ago already. Probably lots of changes since. What really sold us, as previously mentioned, was the relatively cheap price of business class. It was hard to resist.

We used them back in '17 to go to Buenos Aires. Found it quite nice. Price on business class was really good. After reading some not-so-good reviews (especially cramped economy seating), decided we didn't want to take a chance on that. I think it was codeshared - can't quite remember for sure though.

That is indeed a great itinerary. Looked at it several times already. Quite a few ports on there we've not been to. I could easily spend more time in Barcelona, and would love to see Normandy. Never been to Portugal either. Bruges is lovely, and could spend more time in Bergen also. That's where our 2019 Northern Lights cruise started. Didn't have all that much time there since we had done the Oslo pre-extension. Now you got me excited about this one! Definitely goes on the list.

Agree completely! LOL...I hear you (and I was an elementary teacher...😁)

Actually I'd say no great preference of one over the other. Likes both sea and port days, trying new destinations, etc. As for itinerary length - generally a week to 2 weeks. I know Viking's 20-30+ day cruises would be too long. One thing that concerns me is that he's often said about enjoying some of the things that Viking doesn't have - time in the casino, the larger production shows, game-type shows and activities. Basically has cruised RCCL, X, and NCL. Nothing with smaller ship cruising, etc.

Of course, this is one of the potential issues with any river trip especially depending on river levels.

I, also, would recommend this idea for sure. We loved our northern lights cruise over there (well, at least until things got crazy towards the end)!

the latter for sure...

A friend of mine who cruises frequently has gotten increasingly interested in trying Viking based on several of my experiences. So now, as a first time venture, he booked an 8-day Mississippi cruise for '24. I'm just a bit concerned that this particular cruise experience might not be the best introduction to Viking? I'd hate to see him come away with a less than all-around positive feeling and then maybe not want to try another cruise. My feeling would be that an ocean voyage would likely give a far better and more generalized feel for what Viking offers. Anyone else agree? The Mississippi, I assume, is more of a unique experience and thus less representative of much of what Viking has been known for and can offer. While I've not done one, not sure I'd suggest an expedition cruise either for a first Viking trip. Reviews of some of the Mississippi trips would seem to support some of my assumptions. I don't want to discourage him but I'm just wondering what sort of impact it will have. After my talking up Viking considerably over the years, it'd be unfortunate for him to complete this short river trip not feeling that it lived up to all I've mentioned (based on our 3 ocean voyages).

??? Intended to be a tad snarky? Sorry I even posted to this thread.

I hear you. Several long-distance destinations I always hoped to get to but very honestly I don't think it'll happen anymore. Have to be realistic. Do it while you can. If you can have some time in both cities, sounds like a good compromise 😉 There's always more to see wherever you go. Can't do it all.

OK...I see it. Wasn't looking at the 2023 dates.

The 4 I looked at are all on the Sky. Two starting 12/19/24 till either 5/6/25 or 6/17/25 and the other two starting 1/5/25 (same ending dates).

What WC is the Neptune doing?

Sky

You saw more than we did. Our cruise disembarked there so it was a matter of add an extension and get to see a few things or else head to the airport. Glad we added extra time. I can't complain though since the cruise was free. It was the non-public invitational cruise that Viking put together for those who were on the infamous Viking Sky Northern Lights cruise of March '19. We were the first group to sail on the new Mars. The cruise was supposed to be Jan. '21 but due to covid that never happened. Wasn't sure they'd ever come up with another plan. When they did, we only had like 2 weeks to decide on it. It interfered with another cruise we had booked, so had to finagle things around. Glad we decided to go. The crew treated us like royalty and there were some extra touches that looked back on the rather unique Sky 'adventure'. Sort of brought closure to that whole episode. Torstein was onboard along with Karine and her husband, AND the Viking dogs!!! They were mobbed wherever they showed up.

I've not been to Madrid and so can't speak to it, but, I have to agree that Barcelona is a terrific city to visit. We did a post-extension there awhile back and loved having the extra time. Did an all-day private tour booked through Viator. The guide was terrific. Some highlights are the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. Both are amazing. Could have spent another day easily. We used the HOHO and had a great time - got to see at least several places that would have been nice to spend more time at.

Clay...I see that you've done several with NCL. We never tried them yet but friends of ours enjoy them going out of NY. When we were in Bermuda a few months ago on the Summit, the new Prima docked next to us. Quite an impressive looking ship.

What's really interesting about these 4 different WC is that they're ALL on the Sky. So there are two that depart on 12/19/24 but then one ends on 5/6/25 and the other 6/17/25. So I assume it's like different cruise segments (that likely can be booked) so that you've got pax disembarking on 5/6 and the others continuing on till June. Then, there are two more that start on 1/5/25 and, again, one ends on 5/6/25 and the other on 6/17. Interesting. I hear you on that. My Mom will turn 101 in November, so I worry about being away if something were to happen. Of course, we'd be coming back then anyway. I couldn't personally stand to be away from home as long as any of these, but the itineraries all look terrific. 2 weeks+, up to 3 weeks for any trip and I'm truly ready to get back home. So I don't think I'd be a happy camper. Nice to look at the itineraries anyway. I had a trip booked a few years ago that wound up overlapping her 100th birthday. When I booked it , she was not yet 98 and so never gave it much thought! So, as it loomed closer, I knew I could not be away over the event. Worked out well since the assisted living place where she resides put together a wonderful party for her with the family's assistance. Luckily, it was a DIY fly/drive trip and so easy to change things around. And, in the US. Much easier also.

On the Sky! That's cool. I don't think I remember any room numbers from previous cruises, but I will NEVER forget our room during the 2019 Northern Lights trip....5052. Bon voyage! If I were inclined to do a world cruise (which I'm not for many reasons), I'd choose the one you did rather than 180 days. It was great being back on the Sky a few months ago for the Cities of Antiquities cruise.

It really is! We loved it up on that deck. I'd take one of those rooms any time. We were upgraded to it from a PV.

I don't recall it being listed as demanding (?) I wouldn't categorize it that way. You'll be fine. A good part of the day is spent on the bus getting there and back. Definitely go for it. Well worth it. We had trekking poles with us, which worked well. Some of the steps are fairly high, so for shorter people that part can be a bit harder. It was a highlight of our Greece experience for sure. The provided lunch was terrific. Scenery from the bus alone was great.