Liz Masterson

Also… if one person in the cabin has to bow out it should be easier to substitute someone else. Sure there could be a fee. But how it is done now is ridiculous.

I’d really love more overnight ports on cruises. The chance to dive more deeply into the location. Not all ports of course but some. I’d love to see more small group excursions…. But monetarily I get that it would be challenging. There should always be the option to book a 1 day pre extension that just includes the hotel and transfer to the ship. Transfer from the airport would be great too… but I can live without that. To be able to fly in the day before to take some of the stress off the fly in would help lower anxiety greatly. No one likes that part. It would also give lost bags some time to catch up. Flying post 2020 is not what it was in 2019.

I always recommend a stop to see the Glass Flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History. They are absolutely amazing and you will not find them anywhere else in the world. So realistic they will take your breath away! https://hmnh.harvard.edu/glass-flowers

I do not hesitate to recommend them based on my experience. Also, check out their Trip Adviser reviews.

Well, that would suck. One of the highlights is being rocked to sleep. I kind of like a slightly rocky ride at night time.

Absolutely loved an independent tour I booked with this family-run company to their sloth hangout. https://monkeyandslothhangout.com/site/our-excursions/

We often piggyback our cruise with my husband's business travel. Once he had a work meeting in Poland so met me in Oslo for our pre-cruise extension. I wanted to get in a day early to explore a bit with him so Viking was not going to transport me to the hotel anyway. So work paid to get him to Oslo and we used points to get me to Oslo. We used Viking Air to get home. For our next Mediterranean trip, we want to spend 3 nights in Barcelona on our own. So we are flying in early on our own and using Viking to get us home from their Tuscan Villa Extension. You when you book your cruise go ahead and let them add Viking Air. If you decide to fly on your own they return that portion of your fee.

This may have been posted here before... But I think this video on Viking Ocean Dining options is so well done it deserves the attention of all New Viking Cruisers.

Or you could splurge on this amazing AirBnB... https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1169191?source_impression_id=p3_1693672242_LbqTAnwQSHT1skES

Also, those drawers in the bathroom are pretty big. I kept my undergarments in there, to free up other drawers.

No. But that is easily solved by asking your steward for extra hangers and hanging everything up.

🤣 My mail just arrived…

Just thinking... what a wonderful problem for Viking to have... everyone is tired of seeing the ABBA and The Beatles shows on the Viking ships... This indicates they have a very high number of returning sailors... So maybe they could cut back on all the catalog mailings? I'd love just one big beautiful Viking Cruise Guidebook each year...

I ♥️ Viking onion rings!

Ice trays? For injuries or cocktails? And a picture frame? Does it frame someone special? Is it to put new photos of your adventures in? Inquiring minds want to know…

Looks like the webcam is working today!

Boston would be another great port.

They did in July 2022! Just north of Iceland.

What ports will you be visiting? Bon voyage!

Bon Voyage! I love reading your posts so I'll tag along. 🙂

Marriage game eh? On a cruise of this length… that could be a BIG mistake when couples are sharing small quarters…

Here is my reading pile. I’ve gotten thru some of them. I’d like to put in a pitch for juvenile books. The 2 thin books are from the non fiction selves in the children’s library. Kiddie Lit (as we called the course in teachers college) has to distill complex concepts into concise, accurate reading that gets the point across. The book “Silver People” is a young adult book written in verse about different viewpoints along the canal. “Canal Zone Daughter” is a first person account of a woman who grew up with her family living in the Canal Zone. I was noticing much of my reading was more historical than that and I wanted something more recent. “Saffire” seems like it might be a bodice ripping romance. Perfect for poolside. 😏

I have a tip for getting through doorstopper books like David McCullough's... Download them on Audible. I can read faster than I can listen though... so I read until I get bogged down... then I switch to the audio for a while.. you can speed the audio up in the settings as well. I found the reader a bit slow for me.

Also it looks like the Hummingbird excursion is now open! At least for our visit on Jan 15. I have not had any experience with this but will try to remember to report back.

It is!!! Thank you!