Frenchberet

Sorry about the change to your itinerary. We were aboard Orion in March 2020 for NZ & Australia. Australia closed it’s borders just as we were approaching Tasmania. Viking was great about everything. We were immediately redirected to Melbourne to disembark and fly home. We missed everything in Australia, except the airport. Bummer? Yes, but still a great trip. Sounds like you have a good attitude about the changes. Hope you have a wonderful, memorable holiday!

Check out this helpful thread first: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2863068-post-viking-promos/

I understand your desire to pack light, but I’d hate to miss out on dinner at Manfredi’s or the Restaurant. I’m planning to bring some nice slacks and a few sweaters. I’m also bringing a pair of hiking/walking/tennis shoes and a pair of flats (no boots). I bought some polarized sport sunglasses to protect from the wind and glare.

We’ve done two Viking cruises to Norway and another to Australia/New Zealand - never seen anybody in the pool, much less lounging around it. Guess the ‘chair hog’ thing is something we’ll look for in the future. If you reserve a chair on your way to a meal, yes, you’re guilty of being a chair hog.

Daily testing again? We’re vaccinated plus 3 boosters. I can’t imagine dealing with the stress of daily testing on vacation. This very well may be a deal breaker for our Antarctica cruise.

We docked (no tender) in Alta at 8 am on February 13 and left the following afternoon at 1:30 pm.

We were among the 10-20% (?) that didn’t see the lights ☹️. We sailed Feb 6-18, 2019. It was a nice cruise but we were both surprised and disappointed with the outcome. Suggest that you book a private tour(s) to maximize your opportunities.

We stayed at the Thon Opera on Oslo. It was fine - very clean, nice sized rooms, and an excellent breakfast buffet. It is well located next door to the train station. We walked everywhere and would stay there again.

Wow! Appreciate your report. Stay safe!

Thank you. Still trying to reach Virgin by phone. No response to chat or emails. Just surprised ‘gifting’ something isn’t an advertised option.

I’m sorry that your wife fell ill on her vacation. However, I’m puzzled by your characterization of her having to suffer the indignity of being questioned by the nurse and quarantined for 24 hours. Noroviruses are very contagious and can be serious, especially for older people or those with a compromised immune system. It appears that Viking is following the protocol for someone who presents with these symptoms. I’ve read your reports and understand that this is just one more thing on top of an already disappointing trip for you. But it’s beginning to sound like you’re documenting your case for a cruise credit.

We did the Northern Lights cruise in February 2019. Don't overpack. We each took a down jacket, one pair of snowpants, fleece tops, long underwear, winter hiking boots, warm hat, gloves, socks, snow goggles, and a balaclava face covering. We also took "hot hands" hand and toe warmers and they worked great. It was actually warmer in Norway than it was here in Ohio. FYI, if you plan to do any of the wolf excursions, we were advised (via a memo in our cabin) that you could not wear down jackets or leather belts. We opted to do the husky excursions (highly recommended!) which did not have those restrictions. We enjoyed this cruise very much but, unfortunately, did not see the lights... If we were to do it again, we'd book a private tour so we could actually "chase" the lights and stay out longer. Hope you have a great trip!

Thank you for responding. I don’t know if they have a travel agent or if they booked directly with Virgin. Was really hoping to surprise them. I’ve traveled with Viking and they have a form on their website. I was hoping Virgin had something similar.

My niece will be celebrating her honeymoon on a Virgin Voyages cruise and I’d like to send her a bottle of champagne as a bon voyage gift. I can’t find any info on the Virgin website. No luck with chat, e-mails or phone calls. Is this an option with Virgin? Is there a form or something I can fill out? Appreciate any help.

We did this Viking cruise in March 2020. We arrived in Auckland a few days early and booked a wonderful tour with Auckland Scenic Tours - Hobbiton/Waitomo Glowworm Caves Combo. They picked us up at the hotel (we stayed at the Grand Mercure Auckland) early in the morning in a shuttle bus. We were the first tourists to arrive in Hobbiton and hardly anyone else was there. We got some great photos and, if you are a fan of the books and movies, it was almost like being in them. The glowworm caves were very interesting too. The day was the highlight of our trip. We also had some independent tours booked in Tasmania, Melbourne, and Sydney. Unfortunately, Covid hit, and Australia closed its borders. Our cruise ended just as we were arriving in Tasmania. We had to cancel the rest of the tours.

Thank you for the update!

Any info on the status of Viking Polaris? We were originally scheduled to sail to the Arctic on August 28, 2022 but the cruise was cancelled. Ship not yet completed, supply chain issues.

I don’t use a travel agent because I prefer to have full control over my trips. But, if I were in this situation, I think I’d write a letter to the TA outlining my overall dissatisfaction and documenting the issues, mis-steps, and concerns. Set your expectations for future dealings with them, and give them the option to resign if they can’t meet your needs. They might just “quit” and that would enable you to start fresh and transfer your bookings to another agency. Just my two cents.

Thank you for responding. I’m a ‘planner’ so the uncertainty would probably bother me!

What’s the benefit to booking a GTY cabin? Is there a discount? Is it like flying stand-by?

Thank you for the update!

Hi, I read several months ago that the submersibles were not operational on Octantis. Any updates? Are they being used on the Great Lakes cruises? Appreciate any info.

Anyone known if it’s the same on the expedition ships? The deck plan for Octantis shows the living room and bar on deck 5. Is that where we’d look for ‘fancy’ coffee?

Agree. I'm sure Viking will reimburse you for the missed extension but I would expect trip insurance to cover extra hotel expenses.