saratogian127

2 minutes ago, Hawaiian Eye said:

Putting a soiled mask on a table is akin to putting your feet up on a table.  You don't know what's on those masks, maybe Covid, maybe one of a hundred other infectious viruses or diseases.  It simple.  It's bad hygiene any way you look at it.  Put the dirty thing in your pocket, just like you would a dirty handkerchief.  I would hope other cruisers are careful about not spreading disease.  More than my 2 cents.

You do nothing but prove you should follow my advice: Stay home.

1 minute ago, Hawaiian Eye said:

Sorry, I didn't notice the Vaccination sign on the table.  If I saw a mask on a table I would consider it dirty and stay away from that table until it had been bussed.  Some people just don't take infection precautions seriously.  I don't think Viking would approve of the practice of putting worn masks  on tables as good practice either.  There's a Pandemic going on.  I take it seriously.

You didn't notice it's on a table on a Viking ship which every passenger needs to be vaccinated and gets tested every day?

How much more serious could someone be taking it? Again, stay home.

14 minutes ago, Hawaiian Eye said:

Not sure, is it good practice to put worn masks on a table ?   For instance, what it one of the 3 mask wearers just happened to be Covid Positive and was unaware ?

Unaware a vaccinated person put their mask on a table? If this is what you worry about, stay home. Don't cruise. Don't go anywhere. 

10 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

The contacted it in the airport, on the plane, during their own pre cruise stay...and then it took a few days to show up in testing.  I am sitting in JFK where an announcement keeps playing about wearing your mask.  And yet I see two VIKING travelers sitting with NO masks on.  Unless they stole the Viking red luggage tags.  

7 minutes ago, PeabodyMa said:

Take a picture of them for future reference so you can avoid them.

Or complain to them, not us, if it makes you feel uncomfortable.

3 minutes ago, sleepybobo said:

 

I don't disagree with you that daily PCR testing and contact tracing help prevent any COVID outbreak onboard and in the destination.  However, Iceland currently doesn't require vaccinated travelers to be tested on a daily basis.  Currently, there could be some asymptomatic infected individuals doing land based traveling in Iceland.  Shall this infected person be not on a Viking cruise, he or she would still be wandering around the country.  And there is no scientific basis on how infectious an asymptomatic vaccinated person really is.  The fact that there is no other COVID positive cases on the Sky now may suggest this COVID positive person probably isn't infectious.

 

I love Viking and I think Viking is a class act.  Based on the reports by the people onboard, Viking management and the crew handle the situation really well.  But I also think it'll be challenging for Viking or other cruise lines to deal with further trip interruptions like this one.  

 

May be time to rethink the testing protocol, if it's not required by local health authority?  And what's the point of contact tracing if the entire ship is deemed close contact?

Basically, they could do nothing more than the local governments want. Which, I think would be fair and likely less strenuous for Viking. If the local government says we need daily testing, not a problem. As long as I have the proper negative test to come home with, I'm happy. 

3 minutes ago, hutch1994 said:

It's for monies paid.  Don't think it apply to vouchers.  We were victims of the so called monies paid.

 

Well, most of us are probably paying with vouchers for monies paid to cancelled trips last year. I'm sure they will do the right thing when it comes to vouchers.

EDIT: The "us" means those of us traveling now, not necessarily on July 10. 

6 minutes ago, ValarieDennis said:

Passengers will disembark on 7/17, with their negative COVID tests in hand and head home,  the ship will be sanitized as stated in the Viking FAQs. The new passengers will board on the 17th and hopefully will experience a fantastic and uneventful cruise.

And, I bet all the passengers arrive home to an envelope from Viking with a voucher and an apology letter. 

41 minutes ago, vslparis said:

Ours was left in that tray on the ottoman.

Had no idea we'd get these!! Now even more excited!

5 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

No, I would not think that either.  I’m sure people will have to move off the ship by Saturday morning.  I certainly hope the unaffected get to go home. I remember taking an extra 14 days of prescription medicine just in case something like this occurred.  We all knew the risks…

Funny, as I was packing extra meds this morning. And, considering bringing my laptop so I can work from there if I need to for any extra time "just in case".

9 minutes ago, austinetc said:

We have been on a Viking River Cruise where things did not work out due to low water.  Viking gave everyone a 50% credit, which I frankly thought was more than we deserved. I had a great time in spite of the inconveniences. I'll be curious what Viking will do for Sky's Passengers.

I was also on a cruise where things didn't go... as planned to say the least... and Viking stepped up to the plate to make sure people were happy.

For me, Viking has always seemed to do the right thing. I'm more worried about United cancelling my flights (again)!

2 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

Well, maybe Viking needs to change its marketing campaign to “welcome back….maybe” it is still a very uncertain and precarious situation with Covid.   Our Sept. fjords cruise (on RCCL) out of Southampton was just changed to Spain/Portugal only and we cancelled. Not sure we can even get to UK at this point.  So grateful we were able to go to Iceland last week. 

"Welcome back... kind of. In a way. Possibly from a distance off shore.."

2 minutes ago, librarylady19 said:

That still is a lot. In retrospect, Viking shouldn’t have ramped up the number of passengers so quickly. 

Agree. Or, should have stopped selling more rooms after the case in Bermuda. Or, have a had a more clear idea/agreement with Iceland of what do if/when you get a single positive test of an asymptomatic vaccinated individual not to ruin it for everyone else. At least in Bermuda, it didn't change anything for us in a negative way.

12 minutes ago, bardstowntraveller said:

Think I have a good handle for what to pack for excursions but am less sure on what to pack for dinner and ship time. Do most dress differently for time onboard?  I am trying to minimize what to bring but don’t want to be underdressed for dinner. Also, if people are changing for dinner, is summer clothing worn or is clothing more appropriate for the weather?

On board, at least the first few days, I try to wear nice shorts and a polo/button down shirt. But, after a few days I'm usually in a t-shirt (it IS vacation, after all). Dinner, I wear slacks and button down/polo. My girlfriend is usually in a sundress, or similar. I see people much more dressed up, but most seem to be what I'd call "business casual" at the restaurants and the evening shows. 

We're on vacation. Be comfortable 🙂

8 hours ago, Damicom said:

He’s in Iceland ready to board the next cruise

I was on the Bermuda cruise, now he'll be on my Iceland cruise? I'll make sure to tell him to follow the rules. In Bermuda, it didn't effect us. Seems like in Iceland they were stuck on board and pulled anchor... so if I see him, I'll make sure to remind him to follow the rules.

Do you recall the name of the restaurant?

Yes! It was called Ratsstube. It was busy, so it was good we had reservations. We all ordered something different and shared.

When in Kohl, I suggest going to Früh Kölsch and get Himmel un Ääd. Then, if you are an adventurous eater, go to Päffgen Bierhaus in der Salzgasse for Mettbrötchen.

And, when in Heidelberg go to Vetter for lunch. Have some Vetter 33, and some Bratwurst! Your guide will probably mention it because of the Vetter 33.

I think almost everywhere we went, I tried to have some local food. The food on the ship is great, but nothing like eating local. Enjoy!

Last year 6 of us from the boat had the concierge make reservations for us at a good (authentic) restaurant in town. We went together, shared our food, had some drinks and enjoyed our time and fantastic German food. I think it cost us all about $25-$30/ea and I can't imagine the pricey excursion would have been any more enjoyable.

I'm doing the same cruise again this summer, and plan to do the same again. Also, Rüdesheim was nice to have time to walk around before/after dinner.

I did the Viking Rhine Getaway last summer, and am about to do it again. I loved the places we visited, and hope to repeat a few things I enjoyed, and find some new things/experiences I didn't do last year. I probably wouldn't do it thrice, but am looking forward to twice :-)

Hello! First post!

We're doing a Rhine cruise in a month with a Lucerne pre-cruise and Amsterdam post-cruise. The hotels Viking was putting us at weren't in a location I'd choose if I were doing the trip myself so I did some research on both areas and ended up doing both ends "DIY". I actually extended the stay on either end by a day each, and the cost should be about what I was going to pay to do it through Viking.

Amsterdam seems to be extremely easy to get around, so doing transfers yourself shouldn't be too bad. And, I'm positive Viking wouldn't leave you in a lurch if you need to get a cab, or figure out what train to hop on. Same with getting to the airport, doesn't seem like a big deal and surely the hotels are used to people having to go. I've also heard great things about various tours you can take, although we're planning on just exploring on our own.

For Lucerne, sort of the same. Train to/from the airport in Zurich goes right to the main station in Lucerne, and depending on where you stay it's either walkable, or a cab can get you there. There is also a train direct from Lucerne to/from Basel, and I'm told taxi's are pretty familiar with getting to/from Viking ports.

In either case, for me, after doing some research on how to get to/from places it ended up being worth it to do it on my own and actually extend my vacation for roughly the same price. The most "confusing" thing was which great hotel to stay at on either side. But, I ended up booking hotels in both cities which better suited my vacationing style.

Hope this helps!