Findingmywings

Thanks so much for the help!

How do I find out where Viking Orion will be docked in Sydney Australia on November 29, 2024 and in Auckland, New Zealand on December 13, 2024?  I know the final travel documents will have the address but we are doing our own pre and post cruise travel and flights and would like the info earlier.

I’ll try to post some highlights as well as any issues as we travel, internet permitting.

Thanks for the reassurance Notamermaid! We sail on March 11 from Budapest to Bucharest-one of the earliest cruises of the season and are hoping the water levels cooperate.

I can’t remember the brand they stock but it is pretty standard in variety so I usually bring some.
I like to start the day with Chai tea but it is only available in loose leaf form at afternoon tea.  It has become a fun part of our Viking trips to find a new Chai tea in most ports.  On our September trip on the Mars they ran out of mint tea after the first few days and it was not available the rest of trip.  We added it to our shopping list.  Since we rarely use the coffee maker we traded it for an electric tea pot so I could start the day with a good cup of tea. 

We received an email yesterday from Viking telling us of an itinerary change that isn’t a good one.  We were supposed to dock in Auckland the day before disembarking, giving us a chance to explore the city for a day before flying home.  Now we are going to have a sea day before docking for disembarkation, forcing us to buy an extension or pay for a deviation if we want to see the city.  This is the only time frame that works for us and it wasn’t clear if the change applied to just our sailing or all of them.   
 

What would cause them to make such a negative change almost a year out?  For those who have been to Auckland, are there must see sights that would warrant the extra time and expense? 

We just finished a cruise on Viking Mars.  The ship had 2 sets that looked brand new.  We tried to figure out how to play it, but didn’t get very far because the instructions said we needed more than two people.  Would like to learn how to play the actual game, not just the one on the electronic table.

Just returned from a cruise on Viking Mars in a PV1 and had the door/big window.  We had the slider a few years ago in a PV3 and I think the slider might have been a bit easier to manage.  I wish I’d thought of the tie-back idea.  Guess we’ll just have to book another cruise so we can use TayanaLorna’s idea.  We kept trying to keep the curtains back with the little side table and felt magazine holder.  

On our Homelands cruise last fall on Jupiter we stayed in 4123, an aft cabin.There is a main crew access door right across the hall and we never heard any noise from it.  The aft hallway did get a bit clogged with cleaning and supply carts at times but it was quiet.

On our Homelands cruise last September we had a DV1 and all the Flam railroad excursions were sold out.  We ended up just walking over to the station and buying round trip tickets on our own.  I’m so glad we did but it was a risk.  We ended up getting delayed for over an hour in Myrdal waiting for a train so it’s passengers could join our train for the trip back.  It’s easy to do on your own and much cheaper, just give yourselves a good cushion of time so you don’t miss the ship.

I wrote about my experience on this thread: “Vegan dining on Viking Ocean”.  Much of it also applies to vegetarian dining.  You just need to let them know on board and they will help you find some wonderful choices.

On our September Homelands cruise we were able to get ginger ale and non carbonated peach iced tea for our mini fridge.  We have requested fruit juices on other Viking cruises but it was rarely available.

I am a lactose intolerant vegetarian so I am very used to food issues while traveling.  On our September Viking Homelands cruise on the Jupiter we ate in the world cafe the first day.  I don’t usually ask for special treatment but I asked if they had a nondairy butter( margarine).  They didn’t know what that was but brought out butter flavor shortening which tastes pretty awful as a spread.  I appreciated the effort and told them so.  The restaurant manager Narendra Singh then came and talked with me about my diet.  He arranged to have the next day’s restaurant menu delivered to me each evening.  If we planned to eat at the main restaurant, I could just circle the dishes that sounded good, deliver the menu to the restaurant desk by 9 a.m. and they would come up with vegetarian versions that were made without dairy.  This worked well and I had some wonderful meals there.  
 

We mostly ate on the starboard side of the World Cafe and Mr Singh would find us and arrange for the most amazing dishes from the World Cafe chefs especially head Chef Singh and assistant chef Nayanshee.  The chefs actually came out to meet me and find out what my favorite foods were.  They really paid attention and my love of chocolate was satisfied by incredible creations!  The opportunity to enjoy all kinds of amazing food without worrying about getting sick was priceless.    
 

Because vegan dishes were always safe, I became familiar with what was always available.  The Living Room coffee shop always had a vegan pastry in the morning and vegan cookies in the afternoon.  If you don’t see them on display, ask because they usually have some put aside.  The hot chocolate made with almond milk still got me into trouble because they used a packet that contained powdered milk.

The World Cafe always had soy and almond milk,  dairy free sorbet, vegan desserts, and even vegan waffles with vegan whipped cream!  The made to order station by the Aquavit Bar will often be able to make a vegan version of the pasta or stir fry of the day.
 

The World Cafe makes little note cards to post with each dish listing common allergens like nuts, gluten, or dairy which makes choosing from the buffet much easier.

Manfredi’s did a great job of adjusting their menu but I did give them advance notice on the one night we ate there.  We did not try the Chefs Table at all so can’t give any input on their options.

I did struggle a bit on our first VO cruise from Venice to Athens several years ago ending up with lots of salads and vegetables and having to take lots of Lactaid enzyme pills just to be safe.  Our vegan daughter had a wonderful experience on a Viking River cruise a few years ago with the chef getting her input and being wonderfully creative even though he had never cooked vegan before.

I really think Viking tries to give each guest a wonderful experience and I can’t wait for our “In The Wake of the Vikings” trip this September!

Viking booked us on IcelandAir for our homelands cruise.  We needed to change that reservation but at least for September 2022 cruises they did book with them.

I thought SAS had declared bankruptcy after their pilot strike, but perhaps they have gotten things sorted out already.

Thanks for the video!  4123 for us next month for our Homelands Cruise. Counting down the days!

On 7/4/2022 at 5:02 PM, gr8-2travel said:

I have been obsessed with reading the suggested “Viking first timers” forum and am impressed with how much information has been shared. I am pretty confident I understand the availability of the soft drinks, beer/wine and liquor made available and replenished depending on the cabin level as well as the Spirits package. I haven’t been through all the forum pages but have not yet encountered a discussion related to my concern…

We are not big soda/pop drinkers; what I have not seen, specifically, are mentions of other drinks such as iced teas and juices being available throughout the day. We did not consider getting the spirits package because 1) we only have 1 day at sea; and 2) DH doesn’t drink but for the occasional glass of beer or wine with dinner. That said, we are big iced tea and orange or cranberry juice  drinkers…are these available and would we have to pay for them individually as “bar items?” 
TIA for your answers/comments

My husband and I asked our steward to swap the sodas and alcohol for juices and tea in our mini fridge so we always had plenty between meals.  There was no extra charge for this.

We’ve been locked out of MVJ for several days now.  It just says blocked for updates…..

We are taking this cruise in September, so please keep blogging!  You are helping us make our plans.  

We did the Empires of the Mediterranean cruise a few years ago in early spring.  The trip was plagued by a terrible storm.  The port in Venice had to be closed so we were unable to sail out the first day and missed several ports due to wind and rough water.  We stayed well off the coast for an unexpected sea day and the ship rolled quite a bit but surprisingly neither of us felt sick.  Hoping for smooth sailing for your cruise.

Hmm, we were told 12 noon Pacific Standard for our September Homelands cruise…..maybe it is different for different itineraries?

We were placed at the Hyatt near the train station on our last Viking Cruise.

I saw that as well. Also nothing new on the calendar.

We sail March 20, 2018. We are 99 days out and no excursions posted.....