Frenchberet

2 hours ago, bardstowntraveller said:

What site do you use to determine which ships are in port with you?  Would like to see if we are competing for shore excursions in any of our ports

Try https://whatsinport.com

We enjoyed the 3 presentations on Orion but wished they had been more site specific.  We were on the Northern Lights cruise and was hoping to see something on the Arctic.

Agree with the others that once things get back to normal, I think you’ll feel very comfortable with Viking Ocean.  Don’t know if you’re interested in a Viking river cruise, but I bet that would be even easier for traveling solo.  There are only 190 passengers and the dining room has mostly larger tables (at least they did before Covid).  

3 hours ago, Donaghadee said:

 

We should also look at probability.  As more people are infected and recover, or are vaccinated,

the number of available virus hosts diminish.  At the moment, CDC reports 127 million fully vaccinated and 15.7 million diagnosed, recovered and essentially immune.  It is also estimated well over 20 million were infected and didn't know it.  Some may even have natural immunity. 

Essentially, over half the US population is out of the host pool.

 

That leaves maybe 165 million available to feed the beast.  CDC reports there are about 47,000 active, diagnosed cases in the US this week.  Double that number for people who don't bother to get tested or are asymptomatic.  Round that number up to an even 100K.  That's 0.0006% of available hosts who are infected. 

 

Now if you are vaccinated, sit back and consider your odds of encountering someone who is infected and actively shedding virus in the first place.  Then factor in the odds your vaccination will fail you.

 

If you are worried about getting the bug, you'd better worry about where to spend all your lottery winnings too.

 

 

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to present this excellent analysis.  Great job 👍

We stayed at the Thon Orion twice, July and February, and recommend it.  Join their free loyalty program to save a few dollars on the room.  Included dinner and breakfast.  The hotel is just a 5 minute walk from the cruise terminal but you could take a taxi in inclement weather.  

2 hours ago, MSEm said:

We will be ending a cruise in Bergen in April 2022.  We would like to take the train from Bergen to Oslo. (the Viking Post trip is full)  How far from the cruise terminal to the train station?

Any suggestion on Hotels in Oslo? Any other information would be helpful in planning.

Thanks for all of the great post on the site.

Hi MSEm!  The train trip from Bergen to Oslo is easy.  It’s about 3/4 of a mile from the ship to the train station.  It’s walkable but it might be easier to take a taxi with your luggage.  We booked train tickets online in advance.  We paid a little extra for Komfort class that included a seat assignment and free coffee and tea.  There is a small snack bar on the train where you can purchase sandwiches, cookies, etc. The Bergen-Oslo route is considered to be one of the most scenic rail routes in Europe.  The trip takes about 7 hours and the views are stunning.  Try to book a seat facing forward in the direction you are traveling.  

In Oslo we stayed at the Thon Hotel Opera.  It is literally steps from the train station.  If you join their free loyalty program you can save a few dollars on the room.  Great included breakfast buffet.  We stayed for 3 nights and did a tour of the Opera House, the Akershus Fortress, Armed Forces Museum, Royal Palace, and Nobel Peace Museum.  Karl Johans Gate Street is the main shopping and restaurant district and it is right next to the hotel and train station.  At the end of our stay we walked next door to the train station and took a train directly to the airport (about 20 minutes).  Very easy.  
 

Hope you have a great trip!

We are planning to do Russia and the Baltic Sea in 2022.  We toured the Nobel Peace Museum in Oslo, didn’t realize there was one in Stockholm too.  For those of you who did Stockholm (or both), would you recommend it?  

Many people probably have preferred cabins and/or one they think if as “their” cabin.  Ours is 5027.  We’ve done 3 cruises (different ships) in this cabin and are booked on #4 in 2022.  It’s near the elevators and steps but we’ve haven’t had any issues with noise or traffic.  Love Viking ❤️ Hope you enjoy your cruise!

We also did the Bergen-Oslo train on our own.  We purchased “Komfort class” tickets directly from NSB.com and were able to select our seats in advance.  One of our tickets was a senior ticket which was half price.  We had two seats with a table and it was very comfortable.  Free coffee, tea, and hot chocolate was included in the price.  There was ample room for two suitcases and carry-ons.  
 

After our Northern Lights cruise we stayed at the Thon Orion for one night then took a taxi to the train station (it’s not far but it was February and snowing).  In Oslo we stayed at the Thon Opera for four nights and explored the city.  Nice trip.

We haven’t been to Iceland yet but would do that pre or post excursion if we had the chance!

On 1/16/2021 at 12:52 PM, MSEm said:

FrenchBeret

We were also on the NZ/Australia cruise that got stopped  We are now booked on the Bali to Sydney with a Melbourne post cruise. We will have 1 night in Sydney before flying to Melbourne.

 

 

 

Hi MSEm!  Good to hear from you.  I enjoyed meeting you and hope you are both doing well.  It’s been quite a year.  Glad you will be able to spend some time in Australia.  We had a nice excursion planned to see the koalas and kangaroos in Melbourne, sorry we missed it 😕 Hope you enjoy your trip!
 

Our next cruise will be Russia & the Baltic Sea in June 2022.  

Yes, if time permits, you can book more than one excursion per day.  We did an optional and included on a Norway cruise and it worked out fine.  

We did this cruise March 2020, cut short when Australia closed its borders due to COVID.  Missed Tasmania and Australia 😕.  We arrived in Auckland a few days early and did an all-day tour to Hobbiton and the Waitomo glow worm caves, highly recommend!  

We took this Viking cruise in Feb 2019.  As far as what to pack for the outdoors — a warm jacket, snow pants, long underwear, warm socks, hat, boots, gloves, goggles, and hand/foot warmers.  
 

Some of the excursions we really enjoyed — Arctic Landscapes by Husky (Alta) and Lifestyle of the Sami (Tromso).  Try to plan a private excursion (or two) to see the Northern Lights.  We did the ship’s excursion and it was too short and too crowded.  Sadly, we didn’t see the lights.  If you plan to do any of the excursions involving wolves, be aware that you can’t wear anything containing down or leather.  
 

We love Viking.  Don’t miss the Chef’s Table, Manfredi’s, afternoon tea, or the spa!  Hope you have a great trip!

We’ve done three 15 day Viking cruises (signed up for #4) and haven’t been bored with the food.  It appears that they are trying to offer customers a nice variety with Manfredi’s, the Chef’s Table (love it!), speciality stations at the World Cafe (seafood, pasta), and highlighted lunches and dinners at the Pool Grill (Scandinavian, BBQ).  We like the Main Dining Room very much and try not to miss lobster night!
 

We’ve sailed on another line that charged additional fees for speciality restaurants so I really appreciate the fact that everything is included on Viking.  If we ever do a World Cruise,  I’ll report back on the food. 😉

We always buy Travel Guard insurance.  We had to cancel a trip a few years ago due to a sick family member and had no problems being reimbursed.  I know price depends on cost of trip and age of travelers but we’ve never paid $2,000.  Take a look at “insuremytrip” to compare prices.

We were on board Orion when this event took place.  Honestly, wouldn’t call it a yacht or a crash.  The poor guy piloting the blue (tug) boat was going crazy trying to keep the small boat from drifting into Orion.  Enjoyed our time in Auckland.

On 4/20/2020 at 1:34 PM, nast said:

 

I understand their Terms and Conditions. 

The thing is, guest relations onboard ensured us (3 times, also guest relations manager) that every expense made to get back home would be refunded.

 

 

What additional expenses did you incur?  
 

In March our Australia/New Zealand cruise was cut short due to the virus situation.  Viking generously offered to make (economy) airline reservations for all passengers, regardless of whether or not they purchased through them.  We hadn’t purchased from Viking and decided to try to make our own reservations.  We incurred a $98 per person fee to fly out of a different airport and to keep Comfort+.  We cancelled all the post cruise reservations we had for hotels and excursions without any problem.  The deposits we paid were all promptly refunded to my credit card.
 

About 2 weeks later we received an email from Viking and they compensated us for the missed portion of the cruise.  I didn’t expect them to pay the $98 we incurred for the flights.  We had trip insurance but I really didn’t think to try to claim it.  Under the circumstances, we were glad to be back home.
 

I think you got the “right” answer from Viking.

Once you book a cruise, or anything else, don’t look back.  I track airfares for months before I buy.  Sometimes the price goes up, sometimes it goes down.  If you keep checking after you buy, you’ll drive yourself nuts.  Just don’t do it!  
 

Viking has been more than fair and I don’t think it’s right to complain about their pricing policies or customer service.

I’m in!  Experiencing a bit of withdrawal right now from our Australia/NZ trip.  Missing the beautiful ship and Orion crew... 

On 3/16/2020 at 2:50 AM, Cleopatra99 said:

From local news service;

 

Viking Orion cruise liner docked in Port Melbourne this afternoon as Australia's international lockdown measures came into effect.

A Border Force spokesman said about 724 people were on board the cruise ship, including 27 Australians.

The ship entered Australian waters just before Prime Minister Scott Morrison's ban on international cruise ships came into effect at midnight on Sunday.

"Everyone will be subject to the 14 day self-isolation period if they remain in Australia," the Border Force spokesman said.

About 40 people will stay on the ship before catching a flight out of the country tomorrow.

The remaining passengers were either entering self-isolation in hotels or other accommodation, or trying to book flights out of Australia.

A Viking spokeswoman said the passengers had been provided with the latest information about mandatory self-isolation and the company was arranging flights for anyone who wanted to return home.

Viking also announced last week it would temporarily suspend all cruise operations until May.

I was on Orion and the news article isn't quite accurate.  Our cruise was scheduled to end in Sydney on March 20.  We were scheduled to stop in Tasmania on March 15 but there was word that Australia was locking down the borders.  The captain skipped Tasmania and headed for Sydney.  Later that day we were diverted to Melbourne.  We docked and went through Customs at the cruise terminal on March 16.  The Australians got off the ship and I assume went home.  The rest of us got back on the ship.  Nobody self-isolated in hotels or other accommodations.  Viking offered to rebook all the flights or we could make our own flight arrangements to leave on March 17. 

The Viking staff was terrific and helped everyone through the process.  Very sorry we missed Australia but under the circumstances, happy to be home.

34 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-15/coronavirus-covid19-self-isolation-announced-for-australia/12057772

Thank you.  We are on Viking Orion.  We missed Tasmania and Melbourne and were headed to disembark early in Sydney.  The captain just announced that we cannot dock in Sydney and are now headed for Melbourne.

37 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Cruise ships from foreign ports have been banned from arriving in Australia for 30 days, and that will go forward on a rolling basis.

 

That's going to be a big problem for those cruises currently in NZ or in the South Pacific. 

Can you provide the link to this info?  We are on a cruise ship sailing into Sydney.  Thanks!

6 hours ago, Cleopatra99 said:

I had this discussion with someone last week .. so I can only relate what I was told then.

 

Orion is presently in New Zealand on its way to Sydney. The original schedule shows it leaving Sydney for Bali on 20 March (ie, your cruise). Someone who was on board last week asked the staff / crew and was told that Bali cruise was proceeding as planned. That was last week.

 

However since then Viking Sun (ie the world cruise) had significant issues getting clearance to visit and disembark passengers in Bali - they were originally refused - but after lengthy negotiations were given permission. I don't know any of the specifics nor if discussions about Orion's visit were covered during those discussions.

 

If Frenchberet sees this post perhaps he / she could ask the crew for an update (Frenchberet is on board Orion at present).

 

All that aside, you may be best to just keep checking with your local Viking office ... or email Viking 'Head Office'

 

TellUs@vikingcruises.com

 

and hope they get back to you asap.

 

I hope things work out for you.

 

 

Hi, I talked to Guest Services and they said the March 20 cruise is still expected to sail Sydney to Bali.  The situation is fluid but they don’t expect any problems.  
 

We haven’t experienced any issues on our March 6 cruise (Auckland to Sydney).  We’ve heard that 150-200 people cancelled but no problems with those of us here!  They asked us to complete a health questionnaire and did a temperature check prior to boarding.  Weather has been great and it’s smooth sailing!

We’re onboard Orion now.  Viking is trying very hard to maintain a clean, safe environment.  There are hand washing stations at every food venue, monitored by an employee.  Today I saw a man in the World Cafe trying to slip past, saying he just washed.  The employee apologized but insisted he wash his hands again.  He did but wasn’t happy.  Yesterday I observed a man at the Pool Grill ‘pretending’ to wash, seriously?!

Agree that Viking is doing the right thing offering the ability to cancel.  However, our cruise departs Auckland March 6.  We left home March 1 and got the email when we arrived in Auckland on March 3.  Too late to do anything about it now.  Hoping for a safe and uneventful cruise!

The coronavirus is quickly becoming a full-blown global pandemic problem.  I see mandatory hand-washing akin to the safety procedures required onboard a ship.  If you skip out on the muster drill, I’ll bet a crew member will track you down.  
 

There is little we can do to stem the spread of this disease, but we have to do all that we can.  Buck up, quit complaining, cover your mouth when you cough, and wash your hands!