Escaper

We are going during the time frame markets open, early December.

Thanks for the info on Bussing. That is not so fun!

I have read the 2023 Christmas cruise thread that our German residents have populated with tremendously helpful information.

We like Viking, so that narrows the field a bit.

They offer:  1) Paris to Zurich; 2) Paris to Prague; 3) Amsterdam to Basel; 4) Budapest to Regensburg; 5) Budapest to Passau; and, 6) Berlin to Prague.

How would you rank those options?

Very much appreciate the input, and belated Merry Christmas to All!

I think, at least in the US, that the flying demographic is getting older and wealthier in general.  I have not researched this, but that have been my anecdotal experience.

I have multiple couples as friends that are over 60, comfortable financially, and ALWAYS fly 1st class, no matter how short the flight.  That is simply what they do.

I was looking at the cost of upgrading a flight for a cruise a couple years ago and was informed by Viking Air Plus that the upgrade fee for RT flight to Norway in 1st class would exceed the cost of the 15 day cruise!!!!!  I then asked, how many Viking customers do that?  She said, "over 80%"

I was blown away.

The only flight I would pay the premium for would be when and if we go to Australia.  That is a marathon flight, and I would rather just splurge for the 1st class for that length of flight.

I have my doubts that even a Master Sommellier would be able to distinguish sparkling wine varietals when mixed with 3 parts of OJ.  Same goes for Rum and Coke, etc., where it does not pay to order a premium spirits when it is to be mixed with a strong mixer.

YMMV.

Wow, that is certainly very slow wine service.  We have cruised both River and Ocean, and I cannot recall ever waiting more than 5-7 minutes for a bottle of wine.  Maybe a teething problem on the new Polaris????

We, too, have moved on from Princess.

It was fine when we were younger and travelling with young family members, but once the Boss and I tried Viking it was no looking back.  She made it clear she would rather take one Viking cruise vs. 2 Princess cruises. 'Nuff said.

The other nice perk is that a Viking rep meets you at arrival airport and ushers you to ground transportation and helps with luggage.  Very reassuring if arriving at large and/or busy foreign airport.

Luggage also brought to airlines on return flight home.

Is there a way to find out who the lecturer(s) will be ahead of embarkation?  We have a TA coming up in early November and I am curious. Thanks!

Circumnavigation of Ireland, with some extra stops at Isle of Skye, etc., would be a booking for us.

Love the idea of the some of the less-travelled areas in the Med, but NO to North Africa for us, wife would never even consider getting off the ship.

Hawaii to Australia would be lovely, too.

If you look at the wine lists that were posted above, if there is an * symbol next to the wine, it is NOT included in the SS package.  If it does not, it is included, either by the glass or bottle.

I cruise to relax.

I like the SS package because we can get what we want, when we want, whenever we feel like it.

I have never sat down and tried to calculate whether or not a good deal or not.  We are not heavy drinkers, but simply want to order without worrying about the extra cost.  We also like diet Coke, and don't want to pay for that if we want some.

Final note:  It also lets you try some different spirits and liquors you might not otherwise try.  See a Bourbon you have not tried before, order it!  Not sure about a particular wine, no sweat.

Cheers!

TMS, sorry you had bad wines with your SSP on that trip.

We have found the SSP included wines to be hit and miss.  First 3 river and ocean cruises, wines were good.  Last river cruise, especially the second segment to southern France (who would think you could not get good wine in the Rhone!), wines were lousy.

I hope this is not some type of cost-cutting move post CV19.

I totally agree that there are plenty of solid wines for $20-40 per bottle, which should be in the range for inclusion with SSP, IMO.

I did google it, and I also searched the reviews on this website and could find zero reviews online.  This suggested to me it was a new itinerary, but Viking did not identify it as "new" on their website.

At this point we have gone ahead and booked it, and we look forward to enjoying it.

One bump to see if anyone has feedback. Thank you!

This itinerary departs Rome on November 30 this year.  Is this a new itinerary?  It appears to essentially reposition the ship to go Trans-atlantic afterwards?

If this is not new, would appreciate any feedback, as it looks really interesting. Thanks!

Anyone else have experiences to share?  Thanks!

We are considering the West Indies Explorer Dec 20-30 and would appreciate any feedback on what Christmas is like on board.  Special dinners, events, entertainment, etc.  We have sailed several times before on Ocean, so looking for what is different over that holiday.  Thanks!

Escaper

This is the best cruising news in a couple years.  Just terrific!

If the Transportation requirement drops on April 18th--as expected--I suspect much of this will be relaxed.

Does anyone have any intel on whether or not Viking is going to offer this cruise after this year's sailing? Nothing on Viking's website, and one agent I spoke to about a month ago said he would check and I have heard nothing.  Thanks.

Awesome!  Godspeed on the rest of your wonderful trip!

Is Viking offering CV19 tests on-board needed for the return flights/trip to the US?

Not sure if this has been discussed upthread, but Viking now has new ships that are reduced length so that they can return to docking downtown in Paris on the Seine.  Their older ships were too long after the Parisian authorities reduced the maximum length, and Viking responded with these new ships. 
 

Hope this helps, and both are excellent tour companies.

So this is a spin-off of a similar thread on the River Cruises forum.

We booked a cruise with Viking during the "Risk Free" promotion.  In addition, we have confirmed we have 90% coverage for medical through our Blue Cross/Blue Shield medical insurance.

Given those two factors, is there any reason to spend almost $2K on either Viking or another 3rd party trip insurance program?  Am I missing something important?

Thanks for the assistance.  

Escaper

Thanks for the responses.  Decided to book France's Finest for October 2022.  Celebrating 30 years of The Boss putting up with me!  Plus, she has never been to Paris, so this should be fun.