Frenchberet

26 minutes ago, Cyber Kat said:

 

Downton Abbey was fabulous!  I must do an itinerary that has the visit to Highclere Castle on it. 

 

To return to your topic 😁. Yes there are tissues. I also have allergies and must have tissues at all times. I use Claritin because it doesn’t make me drowsy. 

Yes, it was!   I just looked at the pre/post excursion last night.  It’s offered with the Paris & Heart of Normandy river cruise.  Sounds wonderful.  

Not stalking, just interested.  We have another 6 months until our cruise departs (Australia/NZ).  I saw DA last week, it was very good.  Have fun!

Thanks for all the info!

Hi Zitsky, when is your cruise & where are you going?   Will you be able to report in and let us know how it’s going?  

I am a US citizen and understand that I need to get an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) for Australia and an ETA or e-visa waiver for New Zealand.  Viking is offering this service through Generations VISA Service for $125 per person USD.  I did some research and found I can do this online via the official websites for Australia ($14 USD) and New Zealand ($30 USD),  total $44 USD.  Has anyone done it online and did you have any problems traveling?  Just want to be sure I'm not being foolish trying to save a few bucks.  Appreciate any help, thanks!

So how does the TA benefit from taking over your booking?  I assumed they got a discounted price from Viking then passed some of the savings on to you (customer) in the form of OBC.  

We book the cruise directly with Viking, then do our own airline tickets and travel insurance,  I am a ‘control freak’ but wouldn’t mind some OBC!  

We’ve done 1 Viking river cruise & 2 ocean so far.  We’re booked on another ocean cruise (Australia & NZ) in March.  We book DV cabins and haven’t had any problems securing included or optional excursions.  For Australia & NZ we’re also booking several private tours.

The food has been great.  We’ve had 33 dinners so far and with one exception, they have all been very good to excellent.  One time I ordered vegetable lasagna and it wasn't very good, my fault.  We’ve had 4 fantastic meals at the Chef’s Table and 2 at Manfredi’s.  Note that there are no up-charges for the specialty restaurants and included beer and wine with lunch and dinner.  We enjoyed breakfast at the World Cafe or Mamsens and lunch at the World Cafe or Pool Grill.  Plenty of choices.

Before Viking we cruised on Princess.  Much prefer Viking.  No kids, no crowds, no casino.  

I called Viking yesterday to inquire about the sale.  They offered $500 off per person for an 18 day cruise (DV).  We book our own air so I didn't look at that.  Was hoping for an included silver spirits package or OBC.  

We stayed at the Thon Opera February 2019 following our "In Search of the Northern Lights" cruise.  We disembarked in Bergen, stayed one night at the Thon Orion, then took the scenic train to Oslo.  The Thon Opera is right next door to the train station.  Great hotel chain as others mentioned, clean, free breakfast.  We stayed in Oslo for three nights before returning home.  We toured the Opera House, Peace Museum and Fortress.  The art museum was closed for renovations.  Hope you enjoy your cruise and time in Norway!

Yes, once on board you could stop by the concierge desk and let them know that you have a special dinner, etc planned to celebrate your anniversary.  Congrats! 

We’ve never had to wait more than a minute or two at the MDR but I look forward to that night when there is a line and champagne ! 🍸

32 minutes ago, just_dont said:

Even though different cabin categories have their booking windows open on different dates, as Viking has grown to six ships with many 8-day cruises, they are probably to the point where nearly every day there is at least one - sometimes more - booking window opening, all at the same clock time.
Maybe in addition to different categories booking on different days, they need to be different times. That way PV for one cruise wouldn't open at exactly the same time as DV on a different cruise. Just moving by an hour might help.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 

Now that’s a great idea and a helpful suggestion! 👍

Same thing happened on our last cruise (Viking Sky) — 40 registered and 10 showed up.  Lots of crew, drinks, and appetizers but not much mingling.  We were pretty excited but it turned out to be sort of a non-event.  🙁

We love the Chef’s Table!  We’re not foodies but for us it’s all about the atmosphere and the experience, such fun!  We’ve enjoyed 4 of the menus so far, including the 2 you’re looking at. The hot and sour soup was very good, not particularly spicy.  We did find the fried prawns to be very spicy and hailed the server for glasses of water!  We’ve also enjoyed the Norwegian and the other Asian menu.  Looking forward to dining there during our next cruise in March! 

You might also want to try Mamsen's.  We got up late on a sea day and enjoyed a delicious waffle there.  They are open at different hours throughout the day with a limited menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, desserts, and late night snacks.  Another option for lunch is the Pool Grill; nice salad bar, burgers, hot dogs, and sandwiches.  On some nights the area adjacent to the Pool Grill was open with specialty offerings.  Check the daily news!

Have your friend check out this site — insuremytrip.com.  Enter your criteria and it gives you a list of companies and their prices.  I bet he/she will find something that works.  Good luck!

It is a long, scenic train ride (7 hours).  We did the trip in reverse, disembarked in Bergen and took the train to Oslo.  We paid a few dollars extra for "Komfort class" tickets - assigned seats and free coffee and tea for the duration of the trip.  There was also a snack bar that offered sandwiches, cookies, and soft drinks.  

It’s a 20-25 minute walk.  Certainly doable but we took a taxi.  

3 hours ago, What was that? said:

OK - this is my last question, "I promise."

We have agreed to do the 26 Jan-2 Feb Iberian Explorer back to back with the 2-14 Feb In Search of the Northern Lights cruise, and we have to decide between a Veranda (V2) stateroom and a Penthouse Junior Suite (PS1) stateroom. It would help to hear people's experiences in these stateroom categories on these cruises - especially the Northern Lights cruise. If you could mention the features that provided value and anything to do with the difference in location aboard the ship, that would help us.

Thanks in advance!

Just wondering, why are these your only options?  A quick look at both of these 2021 cruises shows vacancies in many of the cabin categories.  We book DV cabins and are happy with them.

We did the Northern Lights cruise Feb 6, 2019 (London to Bergen).  We had a very nice time but unfortunately didn't see any lights.  Highly recommend that you arrange a few private small group excursions to "chase" the lights.  We did the Viking excursions but due to a variety of reasons (too many people, not enough time), it didn't seem like the best approach for this type of activity.  You need to be flexible, find the right location, and be prepared to stay out late.  I think a small group would give you a better chance to see the lights.  

We didn't think the temperatures were crazy cold but came prepared with long underwear, snow pants, down parkas, boots, hats, and gloves.  We spent several late nights on deck and it was very windy. 

In Bergen (post cruise) we stayed at the Thon Hotel Orion.  We took the train from Bergen to Oslo and stayed a few nights at the Thon Hotel Opera.  Sign up for the (free) Thon loyalty program to save a few dollars on your stay.  Hope you have a great time!

The DV cabins are actually quite spacious.  The bathrooms are very nice and have separate shelves and drawers on both sides of the sink.  You can store suitcases under the bed so they don't take up any floor space.  The Viking ships are beautiful and even with 900 people it never feels crowded, lots of quiet public spaces.  Hope you have a great time!

Lots of good ideas!  Thanks so much for your help!

3 hours ago, lyndarra said:

 In Dunedin, I recommend a tour of Larnach castle and a visit must include the historic and beautiful Dunedin station.

There is plenty to see in Christchurch. For something different there is the cardboard cathedral. In Tasmania a tour of Port Arthur penal settlement.

 

 

 

Thank you for the great ideas, we will definitely check these out!  Any thoughts on which of these ports would be best for a wildlife tour?  We’d love to see some animals native to the area.  

Hi, we are planning a Viking ocean cruise to New Zealand and Australia in 2020.  Currently researching ports and excursions and interested in your favorite, memorable experiences.  We plan to arrive in Auckland two days early to see Hobbiton and will stay a few days after the cruise ends in Sydney.  The itinerary includes stops in Rotorua, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tasmania, Melbourne, then Sydney.  We’re an active couple in our 60s, love taking photos, interested in history, architecture, churches, and nature.  Any recommendations?  Thank you!

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

Anything that made you like it more than a mid ship one?

We stayed in DV cabin 5027.  There are 2 similar DV cabins on 6 - 6016 and 6017.  Are you talking about 6096 and 6097?  I guess you might get noise from the World Cafe in those cabins in the back.  We had no problems, noise or otherwise with our cabin.