bookbabe

As a Canadian who has a number of upcoming Viking cruises booked, this frightens me. We haven’t had any problems, but we’ve only done one cruise with them so far. I dislike some of their booking policies, but they’re not a big enough issue to have driven us away from the line. I worry about what experience might be awaiting us if we do run into a problem. Any chance of a bit more detail or advice to help the other Canadians here avoid experiencing the same problems?

You should be able to get it at Blackbeards or the other liquor stores near the port, although I haven’t looked lately to confirm. It’s definitely still available in their duty free shops at the airport, so I’m assuming it will be available in their equivalent shops at the port.

The car rental places will have maps available if you just want to follow someone else’s tour. My personal recommendation is to figure out what attractions or types of things you want to see and then make a google map to DIY a tour. Or give some more details here so people can make better suggestions. Are you looking for historical or cultural attractions? Beach stops? Touristy things? Shopping? Bar hopping? Adults? Kids? Close to port or out of town? Time available?

Hawaii has stricter liquor laws so NCL has a different description and inclusions in the Hawaii beverage package as opposed to the regular one. It adds a few items, and I’m told that they are stricter with the limits of how many drinks you can get at a time. (Normally the bartenders don’t care.) But they don’t have a listed frequency limit, so just order more often. Yes, your drink package works everywhere on the ship, including all the restaurants (yes, specialty too, and the buffet). The VAT is charged per drink when you are at port, I’ve read something like $0.30 to $0.50 per drink depending on what you order. FYI, if you are new to PoA, you should also know that there is no casino or other gambling on board, again due to Hawaiian law.

Tagging on here about specialty restaurant reservations…if your suite description lists “Guaranteed Reservation Each Night in Specialty Restaurant of Your Choice” do you need to make all those reservations in advance? Or can you do them onboard at the start of the cruise, or on a daily basis once you decide where you want to eat?

^^^ this We were on the Encore out of Seattle in May, and we went to scope out the terminal the day before. One of the staffers corralling the line for the Bliss told us the secret is NOT to get in the really long line at the door if you get there before they’ve started letting people in, that when they open up they will open the second set of doors (think it was the ones on the right?) for Haven guests and pull everyone out of the long regular line to enter there. We were traveling with my mom, who has mobility issues and can’t stand for long, so we followed that advice and just sat on the benches by the closed doors until the person with the Haven sign came out, then we got in that much shorter line and almost immediately went in.

Us too. I’d jump on that offer in a heartbeat.

The Viking entertainment was pretty meh, but the size of the ships and the quality of the food and service was fantastic. The no kids is one of the best parts of Viking, and while it’s a little more formal than NCL, it does at least have a casual option for dinner, unlike Regent. We own up to the fact that we are one of those couples in tees, shorts and sandals in the Haven restaurant. We’re beach bums, I don’t even own any formal wear, I’ve got one nicer outfit for each of weddings and funerals but that’s it. And no interest in getting or wearing any. I foresee a lot of room service in our Regent future, one of the reasons we’ve booked a bigger suite with good in-cabin dinner options. We’re not drinkers or bar-goers, so hiding in our cabin in the evenings won’t be the worst option. And a good balcony eliminates the need to fight the chair hogs for lounge space, so there’s that reason too. It’ll be interesting to try Mariner, we’ve got a deposit down on the 2026 WC, so this upcoming cruise is our test run, so to speak.

Yup, that’s the one. DH joined me in retirement recently, and he’s on the never-ending quest for the perfect cruise line for a world cruise. This fall has us on Viking Mars, NCL Pride of America and then RSS Mariner in the space of three months. Since the restart, we’ve done five NCL (including one Sixthman charter) and one Viking. I really wish NCL did world cruises, it would make DH’s “perfect cruise” search a lot easier. It’s getting tough to fit the cruises I want to do into his “let’s try this one” schedule. I could do four or five months in the Haven, that would be a great way to see the world.

LOL. I think we are on that same cruise, our first Regent trial after a lot of Haven cruises. Looking forward to comparing the experience, and really hoping the increased price tag is worth it. We really love the Haven and the go-with-the-flow vibe on NCL, but we are potentially doing a world cruise, and NCL doesn’t offer them. Here’s hoping the cruise is an excellent one!

Dr Cocktail, how would you compare your Regent experience to previous trips in NCL’s Haven? What was better? What was worse? Did the seemingly more formal atmosphere of Regent make a difference to the experience? DH and I are experienced cruisers, NCL Haven and Viking are our preferred providers at present, but we have a Regent cruise booked in November as a test run for a possible world cruise, and we are very curious about how Regent compares to our previous experiences.

Does Princess usually have disembarkation day excursions available? Thinking of those generic bus tours that end at the airport for people with late flights

Now you made me do it, and here’s what I got. Obviously it’s a common enough thing that it’s someone’s business model… https://pantsfordogs.com/products/copy-of-thongs-for-dogstm-size-11

On the PoA, there’s no Haven. Anyone know if the suites still get free room service?

We booked a November cruise a week or so ago. Granted, it is a Caribbean/Mexico one where the ports all have lots of infrastructure for tourists, but we were able to get our first choice of excursion in every port, and since then I’ve even been able to swap to a different one in one port after changing my mind about what we wanted to do. So I guess it really depends on the itinerary as well as on your cabin choice.

Are drydock schedules published anywhere? Googling and searching in this forum has only turned up past ones, I’m looking for upcoming dates, particularly for Mariner. Thanks.

We’re on Mariner in November and don’t expect Starlink by then. But we’d also love to hear more info on timing if anyone hears anything.

No facilities at all at Governors Beach, although ive seen reports that there is sometimes a portapotty there, so I guess it depends if you call that “facilities” or not. Definitely no adult beverages for purchase.

For those interested in the 2026 World Cruise, there’s already been some wait list movement since we got a call from our PCC this afternoon that our second choice cabin opened up. We took it, and are still on the wait list for our first choice, feeling optimistic since it’s so far out.

Not a ton of natural shade at Public Beach, and depending on when you arrive it might already be full. If you go there, plan on renting chairs and umbrellas if shade is a must. Smith Cove has much more natural shade.

Technically, yes, it’s walkable. You can see the route on Google Maps, about a mile and a half. The issue is the heat, depending on when you’re travelling, and the lack of sidewalks for much of the route. Take water with you for the journey. https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Royal+Watler+Cruise+Terminal,+George+Town,+Cayman+Islands/Smith's+Barcadere,+S+Church+St,+George+Town,+Cayman+Islands/@19.2867609,-81.3959811,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m15!4m14!1m5!1m1!1s0x8f25865f794ec7df:0x15c9057b2da47531!2m2!1d-81.3836534!2d19.2968909!1m5!1m1!1s0x8f2586847380fabf:0x707620e78fcf1988!2m2!1d-81.3909686!2d19.2766313!3e2!4e1

Does anyone know the timing for the Oslo to Bergen train when you’ve booked Viking’s pre-extension? Specifically, what time does the train depart from Oslo when going in that direction? Any differences in the experience as posted by the OP when doing the reverse route?

Some pop I don’t mind, I’m just not a fan of current pop aka the Bieber and Beyoncé years. Not repulsed by jazz, but have to be in the mood for it. Country I’m fine with, both traditional and new. Old school rap is okay but the newer “just swearing” stuff is not my thing at all. I do like Abba and the Beatles, we just didn’t get to those shows. Pure traditional classical and opera grate on my ears, but I have no problem with folk traditional and broadway. My go-to is 70’s and 80’s rock, especially hair bands and hard rock. Did the KISS Kruise charter in October, that was fun. But I definitely don’t expect the Viking band to be doing Bon Jovi, Styx or Rush covers anytime soon. 🙂 Part of the reason why we avoid lounges with music and such is that DH has a hearing quirk where he can’t tune out background noise. If there’s music, even at a low volume, he’ll have trouble hearing conversations. Large crowds are also a challenge, where multiple people are talking at once, he’ll end up lip reading to try to follow what I’m saying. So, unless the music is something we want to sit and listen to, we won’t go into venues with music playing if we have a choice. Just the way we’ve gotten used to doing things. The entertainment selections on Viking aren’t a big deal, it’s not like we went and canceled our upcoming cruises or anything. That’s not why we cruise, so it’s not a make or break for us. (The food on the other hand, that’s got us worried about longer cruises, but that’s a whole different thread.)

Thanks. Was more looking for an unscented shampoo and conditioner, soap, etc. Guess I should plan on bringing my own. 😞

Has anyone ever seen any unscented or hypoallergenic brands available?