Frenchberet

15 hours ago, Steerpike58 said:

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! 

 

Regarding the tenders - is the issue simply of of making sure they don't block the view, or is it that when they are used, they are noisy? 

So, which cabin did you choose?

The special ops boats are faster and go farther away from the ship.  They seat 12 passengers.  The zodiacs are small, rigid inflatables.  They seat 8 people.  The zodiacs are used to transport passengers from the ship to landing sites and for short cruises around the bay.

Another vote for 4035.  We’ve stayed in this cabin (or 4037) twice, good location, no noise.

4 minutes ago, sbp59 said:

How much cash should we bring?

 

My wife and I are nearing the start of our Nov. 15, 2023 Antarctic Explorer trip on the Octantis.  Since there are no port dockings on this voyage, there are only the one day in Buenos Aires (between flights), and the two partial days in Ushuaia.  For the 11 days on board, I assume most expenses are charged to our account or are conveniently paid by credit card.   So how much cash makes sense to bring on a trip like this?  In particular, for the day in Buenos Aires?

We did this cruise and the post extension to Patagonia (Argentina/Chile) in Feb 2023.  You really don't need cash as credit cards are readily accepted.  We have a MC that doesn't charge foreign transaction fees so used that exclusively for coffee, dinner and souvenirs.  We had about $100 in pesos but ended up using it to tip the guide at the end of the extension.  Wonderful cruise, have fun!

Honestly, I think it's very unlikely that a person would miss the tip amount charged to their stateroom account.  (1) Viking's "tipping policy" is clearly stated on their website under FAQ's (see below), (2) The option to pre-pay gratuities is described on My Viking, Before You Go, (3) Several days before the end of the cruise Viking notifies you of the exact amount that will be charged to your onboard account, and (4) The information is available to view on the TV in your stateroom.  You may not agree with tipping in general or Viking's tipping policy, but I think they provide clear information about this issue.  There should be no surprises.

8 minutes ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

Has the process changed again?  We just printed out blank form and wrote in the answers, then Doc reviewed and signed.  Then just use your cellphone to take pictures of each page and upload those for Viking's review. 

That’s exactly what we did, no issues.

I’d call Viking to discuss your options.  

2 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

I’ve seen passenger videos of this, but it was on the trip that Torstein was on. Not sure if it’s a regular occurrence or just a photo op.

We sailed to Antarctica on Viking Octantis in Feb 2023.  Polaris was docked in Ushuaia when we arrived.  We only saw one small research vessel the entire 7 days in Antarctica.  No other ships.  Not a traffic jam by any means!

1 hour ago, benel204 said:

The tour operator was Italy tour sharing:  https://italytoursharing.com/

Joe Banana limos is the parent company: https://www.joebananalimos.net/

We had very good experience with them

 

I am also looking into these companies, although have not used:

https://www.shoreexcursionsinitaly.net/

https://www.italytours.eu/shore-excursions/

 

 

Thank you!

2 hours ago, benel204 said:

Thank you all for the detailed responses to my questions about optional excursions. I greatly appreciate it.  I'm thinking that for ports in Italy, we will book those through a small group tour operator (< 10 people on a tour) we've used before (and in fact found through this site!).

 

 

 

Could you post the name of the tour operator you’ve used in Italy?  We’re cruising in February and I’m starting to research.  Thanks!

On our Viking expedition cruise to Antarctica they held a "blue nose" ceremony to celebrate crossing the Antarctic Circle.  There are a series of plunge pools on Octantis that are varying degrees of cold (caldarium, tepidarium, and frigidarium).  Passengers wishing to participate jumped into each of the pools in succession and were rewarded with a dab of blue frosting on their nose and a shot of Aquivat.  The ship's doctor was standing by with a defibrillator...  I've seen videos of other cruise lines where people actually jump off the ship but Viking didn't do that.  

Viking provides pants, boots, a jacket and liner.  You get to keep the jacket and liner (very nice!).  The pants really are waterproof.

1 hour ago, Shipsareus said:

Thanks for the information. Can you tell me which ships you were on? I have to say the chef was helpful, but the choices in the buffet were limited and, as I mentioned, my meals in the restaurant just appeared each evening and I never knew what was coming. 

I understand that vegetarian on Virgin is , I’m told by a neighbour, amazing choices. 
Thanks again

Before you sail, be sure to complete the dietary preference sheet mentioned above on My Viking.  When you board, stop by Guest Services and double check that they have your form on file.  
 

I have a food allergy and a form is delivered to my cabin every day so I can select my dinner.  When you check in at the Main Dining Room they have your form at the desk.  
 

I don’t understand how you talked to the executive chef at the WC and/or  Restaurant and he/she failed to mention this.  It’s common practice on all (7) Viking ocean ships we sailed.  I’ve found that Viking takes this issue very seriously and go out of their way to accommodate their guests.

2 hours ago, mreasier said:

First time Viking Ocean cruisers here - Viking Sea West Indies Explorer next February.  We just got our flight information from Viking.  The outgoing flights are fine.  However, the return flight does not leave San Juan until 6:24 pm.  I looked at changing flights, but would cost several hundred $s.  So disappointed.  We have used Viking Air in the past on a couple of river cruises and were very satisfied.  Does Viking offer departure tours that end up at the airport?  I could not find any on the web site.  Does anyone have other suggestions on what we can do over those many hours?

In my experience with a later flight, Viking offered an included excursion before we were transported to the airport.  
 

We flew home from Buenos Aires in February.  Our flight was at 10 pm.  On departure day, we had breakfast and a few hours on our own.  After lunch Viking took us on an excursion for several hours.  We returned to the hotel to collect our luggage then Viking took us to the airport.  Worked out very well.

24 minutes ago, FLORIDA FLOUNDER said:

That's awesome! But that means our Captain lied to us! 😜

We were on the Octantis. How about you? 

We sailed on Octantis too.  Beautiful ship!  Our February 2023 cruise was after yours (your post says December 2022-January 2023) so I think the captain was probably correct.  Our weather was good (sunny, 30 degrees F).  I wore gloves and a stocking cap on the zodiacs but didn’t need any special warm weather clothing.  Great trip!

I think you should have either brought the matter to the attention of the loud talkers, or to management when it occurred.  No point in re-hashing it now.  

23 hours ago, BigNance said:

I have a question for those that have taken the Antarctic cruise with Viking.  Do they make an effort to cross the Antarctic Circle, or do they just do landings on the Antarctic peninsula that is outside of the circle?

I realize any landings are weather and sea dependent. We are looking at a Jan or Feb 2025 trip.

TIA!

N

We did Viking’s Antarctic Expedition cruise on Octantis in February 2023 and sailed below the Antarctic Circle (we have the certificates to prove it!).  Luckily, we also had good weather and made 4 landings in Antarctica.  A wonderful “hard to top” cruise.

1 hour ago, LindaS272 said:

We had Viking Air on our SA cruise on Jupiter Feb. 27 - Mar. 15, 2020. If you recognize the dates, you’ll know why we were glad we had Viking Air to get us out of Buenos Aires as Argentina closed their airports due to the Covid pandemic.

 

Since we were leaving two days earlier than planned (end of cruise was March 15 , but we had booked hotel & returning air for March 17), Viking made heroic efforts to get all their air passengers re-routed to get home. We were originally on a flight from BA to Dallas & then Seattle; but they had to route us BA to Miami to Charlotte, NC, then cross country to Seattle. I can’t even remember if we had the same airline—but Viking made it happen.

I think Viking always tries to do the right thing.  On March 16, 2020, we were approaching Australia on Viking Orion when the country closed its borders.  Australia allowed the ship to land in Melbourne but all passengers had to disembark and go directly to the airport.  We did not have Viking Air but the captain announced that he would ensure everyone got back home.  Viking guaranteed us seats in the main cabin even though we hadn't booked with them.  We had reservations in Delta Comfort+ so I spent a few hours on the phone trying to change our flights (from Sydney to Melbourne, flying home a week early).  I was eventually able to make the reservations but it was very nice to have a Viking "safety net".  Viking gave us a generous credit for the portion of the cruise we missed.  

We just returned from our Iceland & Norway’s Arctic Explorer on Saturn.  The Dancing Under the Stars party was one of the great unexpected surprises on this cruise!  The crew/entertainers started the party then the guests joined it.  We enjoyed the great music from the Viking band, so fun!  
 

We haven’t been on the Sea in a few years but the entertainment on Viking overall is very nice.  We very much enjoy the violin, cello, piano, and guitar performances in the Atrium and Explorer’s Lounge.  

1 hour ago, BluebonnetTexan said:

We were able to take the Galley tour a couple of days ago by the Executive Chef and boy does it give you a new perspective on the behind the scenes action of the ship! Today we are taking the Laundry tour. I’ll report back soon!

Sounds like you are enjoying your cruise!  Thank you for sharing this info.  We did the Bridge tour on our last cruise based on a discussion here on Cruise Critic.  We’ll definitely check out the Galley and/or Laundry tours next time!

1 hour ago, disudds said:

Does anyone know what hotel Viking uses before the cruise in Buenos Aires?

We stayed at the Hilton Buenos Aires pre-cruise in February.

We love Viking and have done four ocean cruises - Into the Midnight Sun, In Search of the Northern Lights, New Zealand & Australia, and Iceland & Norway Arctic Explorer.  Norway is beautiful and we’ve enjoyed experiencing it in both the summer and winter months.  Our most memorable trip so far was a Viking expedition cruise to Antarctica.  It was a wonderful, life-changing adventure from start to finish.  

“Price Above Expectation” - food truck in Reykjavik

Pizza Restaurant in Reykjavik

On 8/9/2023 at 6:31 AM, westcoastBC said:

Thank you all for your responses they were very helpful. We have decided to rent a car and do the tour ourselves. 

Hi westcoast, looks like you’ve made your decision but I just wanted to let you know that we did the tour you mentioned with Nice Travel yesterday.  We had a great time and would be happy to do another excursion with them.  
 

We visited Pingvellir National Park, Geyser Center, Gulfoss Waterfall, Kerid Crater, and the Blue Lagoon.  It was a long but very interesting and enjoyable day.  Our guide was a geologist so that was an added plus.  We travelled in a shuttle bus that held 19 people.  We don’t think we would have been able to see all these things in one day on our own.  Highly recommend Nice Travel.

50 minutes ago, lpmpsail said:

Taking the Antarctic Explorer cruise in December 2023 on Viking Octantis.  Does anyone know if they provide walking sticks for shore excursions?  I seem to recall seeing that they did, but now can't confirm that.  Thanks in advance!

Yes, Viking provides walking sticks on shore excursions.