TayanaLorna

The current Health & Safety policy states there is no daily testing but a person can request it if they feel sick or the crew can ask that you be tested if you are exhibiting symptoms. Some recent Ocean cruises have reported people being quarantined and one cruise had so many quarantined that all the Q cabins were used and additional people stayed in their own cabin. I don't know how long you get quarantined however. Perhaps someone with that experience will respond.

Although our cruise is not for 7 months, the Caribbean & Amazon cruise is still going. That would be French Guiana and Brazil.

Ok from old Viking Daily's: The Hanseatic League - Baltic area traders 13th to 15th C From BBC Worldwide - Vikings Episodes 1, 2 & 3 The Playwright & the Goddess - Arthur Miller & Marilyn Monroe Stories of the Stars - Myths about constellatiions Who Owns the High Seas? Future of the Oceans Arctic Convoys of WW II BBC Worldwide - the Art of Scandinavia Episodes 1, 2 & 3 Resident Historian on The Vikings Fantastic Northern Lights The Words & Music of Norway The Arctic Ocean & the Search for the Northeast Passage The Bayeux Tapestry Scandinavia What Unites and Divides It The North Sea The Planets Our Neighbors in Space BBC Documentary - Napoleon Berlin Caberet from the 1920's through the 1940's History of Time When We Walked on the Moon Viking Seamanship and Navigation Viking Exploration of the North Atlantic Huldufolk, Icelandic & Faroese Folklore NATO on its 70th Anniversary Looks like there is something for everyone. These exact lectures most likely will not be on your cruise but it gives you an idea of the diversity.

I recall there were some great lectures - Vikings and Norway/UK involvement in WWII on our Bergen to London cruise. I don't recall any wildlife, Sami or geological lectures but give me a day to pull out my Viking Daily's and I will let you know. On our Iceland cruise we were out every single day for 8-10 hours and did not attend talks but I will look at those Daily's also. We did Midnight Sun cruise in 2018 and Iceland in 2021. Both fabulous.

There is a time limit within which we can get that 3.3% discount. However it can be used for everything - optional excursions, SSBP, insurance. But it might only be up to 30 days before your cruise as I recall we could not get it for last minute stuff. Like when the stateroom upgrade offer came just days before cruise

The ship is not completely outfitted but sailing with passengers? Interesting.

On our last cruise, one wine tasting was included and the other "premium" french wine tasting was not. The Armagnac tasting also was not included also. I think it depends on the premium level of the alcohol tasting. Check with the Guest Services desk when you get on board. Free to SSBP holders fills quickly.

Yes on our 2 2021 cruises the Greeter did stand conspiciously in front of the sanitizer instead pointing to the wash basin. Even after just washing my hands in the public bathroom and using the paper towel on the door handle, i still washed my hands again when re-entering the WC to make the Greeter happy. Glad they are continuing this practice in 2022. Would also carry one of the provided hand sanitizers into the WC, place it on our table so each of us could use it after each buffet visit.

Or the nun with the big ruler.

Just bring your dressing stick. My first pair of trekking poles were 25" long and they would fit diagonally in my checked luggage. Bag total dimensions equalled the 62" max required by airlines before bag is considered oversize. I did buy a smaller pair that fits lengthwise in checked luggage, into carry on or in my backpack for excursions.

People in V 1 or V 2 cannot make any advance reservations at all. Not even through someone with a higher cabin category. Both Manfredi's and Chef's Table have private dining rooms that seat 10 to 12 and may be reserved when on board. Go first day of the cruise to inquire. Aft in The Restaurant are large round tables but I don't think they seat 12. Good luck.

Oh what a disappointment! Just saw on news last night that SAS declared bankruptcy. Well there is a lot to do and see in Bergen.

LOL, we live in Puerto Rico and don't get to much in the way of winter coats in the stores. Seasonal change over is to long pants, shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters mostly.

Great trip report! Thank you so much.

I see the closet was outfitted with drawers since we sailed the Sky in July 2021. Its true and good news!

The outlets are in the end tables. So unless you want to lay in bed to use your tablet while charging it, you will not need extra long cords. When it is a queen size bed configuration, one table is next to the closet and the other is up against one of the two chairs in the seating area. There is actually a little space between that table and the closet door. The space alongside the closet is narrow but plenty of room to get into both doors of the closet. If that table was left intact and the chair abuting table was placed in-between the beds, it would be perfect. You can request this configuration and your room steward will make it happen. If the tables are left in their normal one bed position but the bed separated into two twins with a small walking space between them, then the table alongside the closet would have to be moved right up to the closet door narrowing the access space to the closet. The Mars should have the 3 drawers inside the closet on one side with a shorter hanging space above. The other side of the closet should have full length hanging space with floor space for shoes or laundry bag. What we do to minimize closet usage by two people is the person who gets the bed alongside the closet gets the drawers inside the closet. The other person gets the drawers in the hallway under the coffee maker. We both use the hanging space inside the closet. Each person has a drawer and shelf in their bedside table too. I think all Viking Ocean ships have been built or outfitted with the 3 closet drawers now except the Star and Sea. Heard the Sky was outfitted with them last fall.

I found that many country entrance requirement sites give info for arriving on plane or train and then traveling around. The requirement for boarding a cruise ship can be different and often that kind of travel is not on those government sites.

Try Patrick Watts for the best excursion to see the penguins - 3 different kinds. They will have their young by January. pwatts@horizon.co.fk

Great, thank you. We have a new Old Navy nearby. Doing a Caribbean and Amazon cruise in February. Its going to be hot and humid. I find dresses the coolest apparel.

I love all your dresses.

I believe cruisemapper also has future itineraries of a ship.

Our favorite cabin location is forward near but not at the elevators and yes closer to the laundry. Love just going up and being at the Explorers Lounge or down and walking to the spa in my robe. Question - do you still need a reservation to use the Spa facilities? When we had 4111 we were in Iceland and doing all day excursions with lots and lots of walking so we got tired of walking so far on the ship in order to get anywhere.

Love all your photos. Thank you for writing this. It is interesting to learn how things on board have gone back to normal. I noticed the Nordic Bathing Ritual is being offered again. It was not during our 2 Covid times cruises. Happy to see you still get masks and hand sanitizer.

Ha, we had 4111 summer of 2021 for an Iceland cruisecon the Sky. I understand since then it was upgraded with 3 drawers inside the closet. Did not like the long walk to the elevators especially when we were forgetting something and having to walk back. Love the Sky though.

Well i wouldnt say the ports are small. Santarem is over 306,000 people, Parintins over 115,000 and Manaus is at 2.2 million people. No city or village we visited in Iceland even had the population of Santarem and some were less then the 800 or so we had aboard our Viking ship. We had an ample amount of excursions from which to choose. My understanding is the Boi Bumba performance in Parintins is THE thing to do and see, that Viking gets everyone there and you still have time for a bit of a walkabout in the town if you wish. We are doing this cruise February, 2023 and because the ports where Viking stops are so big, we decided it was a shame to go so far and not go further upstream to experience the tiny flooded streams and the small native villages. So we will disembark Viking in Manaus and go further up river on a smaller boat. Part of the reason we are doing this rather then stay at a Manaus hotel and doing day excursions is we feel we will be safer on another boat having all excursions included and not having to deal with security issues.