carollouise

Thank you for this!  We are on a different cruise, but it is nice to see an example of the info on the dailies. Took notice to the dress code bit.  I was under the impression that jeans were ok at the buffet.  Not a deal breaker, but looking to know what to pack. 

This is wonderful.  Fantastic video and I signed up to watch more!  Our ship in April with a few of the same ports going from Barcelona to Venice!  Thank you for this!

Thank you for this!  Sure will help when we try to decide how many specialty restaurants we want to go to.  Your photos show the food to look very good!

How do you get offered to upgrade? Is it random or do you have to ask for it? 

We took our 4 year old grandson and his parents on an Alaska cruise last summer. He absolutely loved it and still asks me if he can go back on the big boat with us again.  So, we are now looking into a Caribbean cruise for when he is 5. It was on a HAL ship and we didn't use the kids center at all with him. He is shy and goes to restaurants all the time with his parents.  Quieter than us adults at the table! ha!  I really think it all depends on the child. We are looking into Regent, Oceania  or perhaps Seabourn.  Celebrity?  Something with better food than HAL! He will have 4 adults entertaining him!

1 hour ago, Paulchili said:

The definite answer will come when your actual excursions are released (about 240 days prior to the cruise).

Until then you can look at the same/similar cruise in the near future that will have prices.

Also, you can change your choice of adding or not adding O Life until 14 days prior to the cruise which is the latest time by which O Life tours must be booked.

Thank you!  Learned a lot with your post!

19 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Mary,

Actually O Life can be a very good value if you choose excursions instead of OBC or drinks.

Some included excursions can be up to $199 - thus your $600 can buy you as much as almost $1200 worth of excursions.

This is the case for 2 people in the cabin - math may be different for 3 people but even then the first 2 people can still almost double their monetary input.

Is there a place to see the prices of the excursions before you book and make your choice of o life or not?  I went to Oceania and saw the descriptions of the excursions but didn't see prices. 

That might be our option. Thanks!

13 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

 

 

It is still on the website but probably only done for the itineraries that overnight in Rome because it does not return to the ship until late in the evening.  Plus, the chapel is closed on Sundays.  Since the page on the website is generic and used for all cruises that call at Civitavecchia, it remains on the page even if it can't be offered very often.

I bet that's it!  Odyssey is just one day.  😞

5 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

.  For example, I am on Mediterranean Odyssey.  There was an excursion to see Sistine Chapel after hours.  When it came time to book, that excursion just wasn't listed.  It was like it was never there.  I don't know why they would advertise it then take it away.  Maybe not enough interest.

Oh no!!!!  That was one we have been looking at doing. Haven't been able to sign up for excursions yet. Dang!

21 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Yes, you must cancel 36 hours in advance. 

 

Consider this plan:

 

Florence --paid tour, which over one appeals.

 

Rome -- I was going to suggest the included tour but they have changed it and it is now a 9 hour tour.  So my alternate suggestion is to skip Rome and take the tour to the Etruscan Necropolis and the Archeology Museum in Tarquina. There are steps down into the tombs, one flight, and it is mostly a quick lecture and then you can wander the small area at your own pace. I went into one tomb and DH did a bunch of them. Then a ride into Tarquina proper and on your own for an hour and half or so or follow the guide around the town. We chose to do the museum on our own and then wander. There are a couple of cafes across the street from the museum where you can sit and watch the world go by. Spend the rest of the day on the ship relaxing.

 

Etruscan Necropolis -- interior

 

Naples --  Don't bother with the included tour--sounds like too much walking. Choose either the 3.5 hour to Herculaneum (not the easiest of walking but much more compact than Pompeii) OR get in a cab and spend as long as you want at the National Archeology Museum (it is magnificent). You can see Mt. Vesuvius from the ship.

 

 

Herculaneum -- just a few city blocks in size

 

 

Also, consider not booking one or more of the optional until you board the ship. Sometimes, depending on the popularity of the tour,  you can sign up morning of the tour and get the seat of a no show.

You have given me so much great advice and your time!  I really appreciate it!  I will look into all of these options.  Never thought of waiting till on the ship.  This will be our first Viking cruise.  After this one we will go on the Homelands! Very excited!

I have another question.  We have 3 days in a row with potential long days of sightseeing.  Florence/Rome/Naples.  If we choose non included (paid extra) tours through Viking and then decide physically if it is just too much and decide not to do one day of them, will Viking refund?  If they refund is there a time limit before that you are allowed to cancel? 

3 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

Agree with Peregrina, as our Florence/Pisa tour included lots of walking. In addition to the 5+ hrs walking in Florence, in Pisa the coach parked about a mile away, so we walked a mile to and from the arched entrance.

 

Although we didn't use the train, suggest checking out the train schedules and then using local cabs, as in Pisa they can drop you outside the wall. 

 

For us, Florence was lots of walking over and it was really hot, so bit of a blur. However, you should be able to do some of the attractions by taxi. For the David Statue, suggest purchasing tickets in advance, as the queue for those without tickets was long and hardly moved. Even with timed tickets we waited about 15 mins.

Thank you Heidi13.  So good to know these tips ahead of time before we chose. On the Odyssey Cruise we are only in Livorno port for Florence/Pisa for one day.  That's a huge amount of walking you did and it would defineatly not work for us!

Thank you so much Peregrina!  Fantastic tips and maybe there is hope! LOL

11 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

I just did a quick look at the tours that Viking may be offering to Florence. They all focus on the sites that are within the old part of the city where the tour bus are not permitted to drive and they are marked as demanding. You will be dropped at one edge of the restricted zone and will  meet the tour bus a few hours later on the far side of restricted zone. Not only is it a long walk from one side to the other but it is on cobblestones.

 

Cabs and cars have access. Look at taking the OYO bus to Florence and then hiring a guide with a car who can drive you from site to site. Or find out about hiring a pedicab ( I think I saw them on the streets).

 

Lucca is a lot of walking. The bus drops you at the gate to the walked city and then you walk the rest of the time. We did the OYO. The tour escort walked us from the bus to the place where we would meet at the end of the tour. Cute town, especially when it isn't raining -- but again old city with cobblestone streets.

 

The tours to Pisa basically take you to see the tower. They drop you several blocks away.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to help! Can I ask what is the OYO bus?  Is this a company or line? I like the idea of the cab or cars.  Will search to look into Pedicabs! 

55 minutes ago, odblnt said:

However, on the Iconic Western Med cruise, which these folks will be taking, the itinerary lists their stop at the port of Livorno as, "Florence/Pisa, Italy", hence the confusion.

They list it the same on our Odyssey cruise in April.  My husband has a bad back and can't walk too far.  Florence has me concerned and I am trying to find an excursion with Viking that is not too much walking. 

Really appreciate you sharing these videos. so helpful to help us make a decision on our next cruise line. Which line has been your favorite that you have cruised on?

6 minutes ago, califsealion said:

 

There isn't a laundry room on the Duchess, but I can't remember if you can send your laundry out for them to do or not.

Thanks for the feedback!  

We are going on the American Queen Duchess from New Orleans to Memphis.  I have been trying to find out online if there is laundry on it.  Have not made a call to the company yet.

5 hours ago, broker1217 said:

You will enjoy the PV---and at least you have the option of utilizing the sofa if that is more comfortable for your husbands issues.

One thing I will say about both the chairs and sofa---they are smaller scale and relatively low, with not very high backs.

I am 5'2" and was comfortable with the scale of the chairs/sofa. DH is 6'2" and he found the seating not so great for his height---lowness means little leg support for taller people (also harder to get up when your bottom is several inches lower than your knees). They are on the firmer side so if your husband needs more cushioning you may need to use pillows.

 

It really depends on what works for your husband. The chairs and sofas do have arms if that helps him with either settling into or getting up from sitting.

 

The arms will be helpful, especially if they sit low.  My husband is 6 ft.  I am looking forward to the sofa too!  If he can't get comfortable in the room, it looks like there is an abundance of areas to sit on the ship.  At my age of 67,

I don't want time to go by fast, but I am so looking forward to sailing with Viking. We are sailing to Alaska in a week and a half with another line, and think I will be dreaming of Viking the whole cruise! LOL

It does help CCWineLover.  Your pictures have a great view of the post!!!  Chairs look a little better than the Viking site pictures, but still feel good about our decision!  Thanks!

Thank you so much for all that responded.  I had my husband read your posts and he decided to not take a chance and go with the penthouse veranda. Maybe when we are sailing on our cruises we can somehow get a chance to view a deluxe veranda and take a look at the chairs and cabin in person.  Appreciate the info about the narrow passage from the bed area to the living room on the DV's......never would have known from the picture and that also helped us make up our mind. 

Good idea to take a 360 look.  I will also do that!

Thanks for the feedback SrCruizer!  Very much appreciated because when we had studied the photos of the two cabin choices we thought that they looked different!  Guess it must have just been the angles of the camera and the side view opposed to the straight on view of the penthouse veranda.  You have been very helpful!

Hello!  We are new to Viking.  The comfort of the stateroom chairs is very important to my husband. He has back/hip/and bursa pain nonstop. We booked a trip for 2020 in the Mediterranean, and now are in the process of deciding a stateroom for the Viking Homelands cruise later that year.  We booked a Penthouse Veranda on the first trip because the chairs looked like they may be more comfortable.  Could I get some feedback on the chair comfort in the Veranda and Deluxe Veranda's please? Has anyone experienced the difference? We would be perfectly happy in a regular veranda in the chair is well cushioned!  Thank you!