SantaFe1

Sorry, I’m having a bit of trouble with photos this evening. But anyway. The elusive leopard.

We were in Dakar on the 2019 WC. We were able to get off the ship(which we hadn’t) and take a day Safari somewhere nearby. My lasting memory is of the poverty, with every man, woman, child and beast looking like they were starving, as I have said elsewhere on this board. But our multi day Safari was in Kruger. The most elusive of the big five.

We did this with a few other pax on our Homelands tour and it was great. Much less, and just a few yards from where the ship docked—although, I can’t believe it, that was in 2018!

We pick up the Neptune on May 9 2024 after the WC, To do the British Isles Explorer. Any chance you are staying on?

Another big perk is only paying airfare once for the equivalent of 5-6 2-3 week cruises. If you are flying business air, that is a lot of money!! And I agree, there is always something new to see in past ports, and always new delights!

We were in Dakar on the 2019 WC. We were able to get off the ship (wish we hadn’t) and take a day Safari somewhere nearby. My lasting memory is of the poverty, with every man, woman, child and beast looking like they were starving, as I have said elsewhere on this board.

Thank you! I had a date on my calendar to buy SSBP about two weeks before our cruise date, knowing that MVJ closes seven days before. I have now moved my calendar reminder back just past the 30 day mark, which, yikes, is next week!

Oh dear, our dog is not. She is the sweetest and dumbest dog we have ever had. We say she got two hearts and no brain. But we love her, as does everyone who knows her.

Thank you. She is a Boxador, part boxer and part black lab. We adopted her from the shelter two days after we got back from our WC in 2019. She is now nine and going strong.

Ok, this is the sweetest dog in the world. She loves ALL people. She loves NO other dogs. She is NOT hypoallergenic Do you really want her aboard? We pay big bucks to have her well looked after at home. If you can’t do that, then don’t cruise. I am tired of this thread. ( sorry to be so grumpy!)

But, as I said, less than one month ago, we had people in jeans at all venues every night. I even asked about it twice, and sort of got a runaround answer. I will say that that cruise was not the usual demographic. I would say that fully half the pax were under 60, where usually I would guess 80% of pax over 60. I do believe Heidi13 is correct, though, when he ways they will have a few acts waiting in the wings for our five days over and five days back. And then probably new acts brought aboard in Hawaii. That would be fun. And with lots of sea days, Viking provides many other activities and special surprises beyond just the evening entertainment.

We are on the LA to Hawaii cruise next February. One the reasons we choose it, besides getting out of here during winter, was the sea days, which we enjoy. But when the ship doesn’t dock and can’t bring on new entertainers for the star theater, you will usually just have the standard Viking entertainers (vocalists) and the Viking band. We don’t enjoy the entertainment in the star theater, and generally gravitate to the explorers lounge or Atrium, where they have guitar and/or piano and classical duet. The dress code for the restaurants is a topic of much controversy. By jeans, Viking supposedly means jeans of any color. I always take a pair of black dress pants and my husband takes khakis or navy dress pants. But on our last cruise, we saw that rule flagrantly ignored. I would pack something besides black jeans just to be safe.

What a shame. I’m so sorry to hear that. Hope you feel better soon!

PS, my, you are up late or early! But enjoy your victory!!

Yes. I believe that too. As former S. Californians, we know just what you mean. Go Aztecs! (Although I am from that basketball powerhouse, UCLA, well at least in my day). But happy to see the underdogs win. Fingers crossed. The final two, right? Or whatever they call it!

I had to do that a few days ago, too. Weird.

I agree about Panama, especially Colon. On our WC the saddest we saw were Mozambique and Dakar. On our excursion through Dakar it seemed every man, woman, child, and beast was starving. I got back, walked into the World Cafe and it’s abundance, and burst into tears. My husband and English friends just kept telling me I couldn’t change everything alone. Just pick something you can work to change and do that tiny thing. I guess that’s reason enough to go on a WC and see things you don’t normally see.

Our cruise is just about two months out, and the calendar summary shows both arrival and departure times, along with shore ex and dining.

Check to see what time you get into port. But Yes, probably that would be fine, On your Viking invoice it usually will tell you if there are flight time restrictions, like “do not book flights before 7 am.”

Suggested Gratuities are $17 pp per day. You can pay them in advance, on MVJ, or at the end of the cruise. When onboard, you can also ask that they be changed or deleted.

Wishing you all the best and smooth flights and connections. We had a connection in Frankfurt about three weeks ago and had no trouble, even about half an hour to enjoy the lounge. I enjoyed your last postings and look forward to traveling vicariously with you again!

Last night we had dinner with friends who would like to do a WC, but have never cruised before and wanted to start off with something smaller. He is ready to go, she is not. But his selling point was “no children, right.” I said yes! But I didn’t have the heart to tell him about the dog issue.

Oh my. This is just unbelievable—and unacceptable! I can’t believe it has come to this.

Then welcome to Los Angeles!

I’m saving this as well, as we hope to do this trip in May 2024. Thank you so much Andy.