cassie cruiser

I'm just starting to research Venice. For hotel information and ratings, I use Tripadvisor.com.

Thanks for posting this. It"s very helpful.

On 1/12/2019 at 4:19 AM, robinhood1 said:

We went with Alla for two days and they were excellent. We went to the Faberge as part of the trip which Viking were not offering at the time and we had plenty of time there. We did not feel rushed at all over the two days and were delighted with their service. I would be reassured by all these comments - you will be much less rushed in the Alla small group and I am sure overall will see more.

This was our experience also.  I would definitely book Alla again if we have the chance. We loved the Faberge and the subway ride.  Actually, we loved all of it.  And the price difference compared to Viking made it even better.

Viking’s dress code can be found on their website. Basically, it’s business casual, or whatever your interpretation of that is.  On our Viking Homelands cruise, I wore slacks and a nice top every night, which seemed to be the norm. I didn’t see anyone dressed up. A few of the men wore a sport coat, but most did not. 

I also recently discovered JJill and I love the 'Pure Jill' pants. I just ordered my 3rd pair when I saw their 30% off sale. I wear a size 12 in pants and the medium fits perfectly. Unfortunately, I haven't found any tops that fit.

Thanks for sharing the pictures. We are boarding the Ruby this Saturday for a Pacific Coastal cruise.

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I just found this list of the 100 best restaurants in Canada. There are several in Vancouver. I usually use Yelp for recommendations.

http://canadas100best.com/canadas-100-best-restaurants-2017/

I have one from Ulta that I bought years ago. I keep it in the original bubble wrap and box that it came in and it has survived many miles of travel. It's similar to this one --

http://www.ulta.com/black-diamond-cut-10x-mirror?productId=xlsImpprod4320075

Two words, ladies -- Stein Mart. The selection online is so much more extensive than what I have seen in the store. I ordered four dresses and I'm keeping these two. I can return the others to my local store.

https://ii.steinmart.com/fcgi-bin/iipsrv.fcgi?FIF=/images/steinmart/source/steinmart/products/62916762_001.tif&wid=570=&cvt=jpeg

https://ii.steinmart.com/fcgi-bin/iipsrv.fcgi?FIF=/images/steinmart/source/steinmart/products/61416681_432.tif&wid=1000=&cvt=jpeg

We have been on two Viking river cruises. Dinner dress is fairly casual. Most ladies wore slacks and a nice blouse or sweater. I did see the occasional skirt or dress, but not very often. If your excursion comes back late to the ship and you don't have time to change, it's not a problem. Many people wore the same clothes they wore during the day. Men generally wore casual slacks (like Dockers) and a shirt/sweater.

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Thanks for those pictures.

This is something on my bucket list which I will soon be able to cross off. I'm a native southern Californian and I've been to SF many many times. I've even walked across the Golden Gate bridge. I'm looking forward to sailing under it!

Sorry I don't know the answer. Make sure you select the tour in English, as they have several different languages to choose from. It's an excellent tour - enjoy!

Thank you so much for your detailed review! And I love all the pictures. We are booked on this cruise in December 2017, going in the other direction. I'll stay tuned in here for the rest of your review.

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Good walking shoes are an absolute necessity on the viking Homelands cruise. There are cobblestones everywhere. We did lots of walking on most of our excursions. The good thing about that is that I didn't gain weight after eating all the delicious food on board. :D

We were on the Viking Sea - Viking Homelands cruise from 7/4/16 sailing from Bergen, Norway.

We had a different experience than the OP.

We had no problems with the excursions. We booked online as soon as we were allowed. We opted for a mix of included and optional tours. I checked online prior to leaving home and the tours were exactly what was booked. When we arrived onboard I checked the tickets and they were all correct. Instructions were included in the daily newsletter as to the time and place to start the tours.

We were in a Deluxe Veranda cabin on deck 5. Every request we made of our cabin attendant was handled properly and timely. We never heard any sounds from either of our neighboring cabins. If I hadn't met up with the neighbors in the hallway or on the balcony, I would have thought the cabins were vacant.

Service throughout the ship was mostly outstanding. The barista who made cappuccinos, the service desk personnel who answered questions, the spa receptionist who booked my hair appointment - they were all absolutely professional and polite.

The only exception I found was in the dining areas. I think some of the waitstaff need additional training in English language skills. They understand the basics, but had trouble with anything beyond that.

Some of the waitstaff did not fully understand the menus and should be more thoroughly trained. There were a couple of times that I asked about the ingredients of a menu item and the waiter had no idea. He had to go and get a supervisor, and then she had to go somewhere (presumably to the kitchen) to get an answer.

Overall, we had a fabulous cruise and will certainly sail with Viking again.

We were on that cruise in July on the Viking Sea. I would say it was fairly busy. I avoided doing laundry on the one sea day, as I figured that would be the busiest time. I went in the day after, in the afternoon, and had no problem. However, other folks came in after me and had to come back. There are only 3 washers and 3 driers in each laundry room. I think it just depends on your timing.

We were on the Viking Sea and had no trouble at all at the port of St. Petersburg. There were NO lines on either day that we went through the immigration lines. It took less than 2 minutes. And I did get an actual smile from one of the agents on the 2nd day.

Dln929, yes, that's correct. The offer applied to either ocean or River. We thought it was too good to pass up.

Yes, it is a bit tiring. The way I look at it, we might never get the chance to visit these ports again, so we might as well see everything we possibly can. I'm 63, husband is 69, and we're in good health. Probably could both stand to lose some pounds. We're currently on the Viking Sea, disembarking tomorrow. We had one sea day in a 14 day cruise, Viking Homelands. We can sleep when we get home. [emoji3]

We are on the Viking Sea now, disembarking tomorrow. [emoji22] Viking is offering a $500 per person discount for booking another cruise while onboard. The staff person in charge of booking has been very busy. We'll be on the Rhine in December 2017. [emoji2]

Here is the memorial to Bob Hope.

Thank you for that commentary. You were so lucky to be there for the christening.

Looking forward to boarding the Viking Sea on July 3!

Please wear a good hat with SPF protection! I'm one of the bad examples who did not, and I just had a skin cancer removed from my scalp. It was ugly and painful. I just got the staples and sutures removed two days ago.

I found a good hat at REI. No, it's not the most attractive accessory, but it will get the job done.

https://www.rei.com/product/828462/outdoor-research-oasis-sombrero-hat-womens

Wonderful pictures! Thanks for sharing.