junnipper

We just returned from our cruise. For my husband who has hearing aids in both ears there were 2 options. For the pre-cruise excursions they had ear buds for both ears so they gave him a headset with foam cushions (just like what we used with Walkmans back in the day). For the actual cruise they had the single ear bud that fit over the ear. He kept his hearing aids in. The only downside was it didn't fit into his ear but it worked well enough that he could hear and there was no worry of misplacing a hearing aid. 

On 10/6/2022 at 3:03 PM, Selion said:

Off topic, but...  Free air is worth it if you're willing to slum it while getting to the ship.   LOL!  🤣

Slum it? 

Along the lines of testing, what about showing your proof of vaccination? We are 14 days away from our Mediterranean Odyssey I am pretty sure I read on here that we get a list of specific instructions at this time but haven't received anything on my email or on MVJ yet.   

Do we just show our National Vaccination document that I have saved to my phone (and printed) on embarkation day?

I may as well jump in here. This is my first Viking tour and I put a lot of thought into the times etc. For 2 days we are on excursion 7hrs in Naples one day and 10 hrs in Rome the next. So for the port of Florence I decided to book the included afternoon tour from 2-4. I think this is a smart move as it will give us a chance to recharge. So my advice would be to look at the big picture and how one day relates to the days around it. 

Kind Regards

J

4 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

 About 4 months before our cruise, a new hotel appeared on our Guest Statement with no email notice. 

TayanaLorna, where did you find this Guest Statement? Was it emailed to you but the hotel change wasn't highlighted? I only see where I can request a statement and not view it on my MVJ. 

To share my experience, we are doing the same cruise this November but starting in Venice. I wanted the Tuscan pre-cruise extension. It was sold out. I kept checking (almost daily) and "one spot left" came up approximately 5-months later. One spot means one place for a couple.

I did the math and on our own would have been cheaper however, it was important for me to book my pre-extension with Viking as we aren't very seasoned travelers.  

Your options are keep checking regularly or book on your own depending on your comfort level. 

Hi holech, we are also booked for a pre-extension in Tuscany. Here is a cut and paste from the itinerary on my MVJ page. Check your MVJ page and do a search for your Villa (may be the same one). This one looks really nice. It advertises bathrooms in every room, I don't see anything about toiletries but we always bring our own so it isn't something I looked too hard for. 

https://www.villailpoggiale.it/it

10 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Are you talking "stopovers" or "connections"?  Do you REALLY have two stopovers?

 

You might read this thread and post for more clarification of the difference between those two terms and how they are used in the airline industry:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2876144-connection-time-advice/#comment-63830231

 

Because you the layman may think they are interchangeable, but they are two different animals.

 

 

No, not 2-stopovers. I know the difference, just wasn't using my full brain when I posted. Thanks for being patient with me FlyerTalker. I do have another question. I am very certain that I read somewhere that checked baggage was included with Viking Air but can't seem to find it anywhere. I contacted Viking via the chatbot but they misunderstood my ask and I didn't have time to try and clarify it. 

9 hours ago, Squawkman said:

Most likely your flights have been ticketed. Look for ticket numbers in the flight detail.

I checked MVJ and the PDF copy of my Air Itinerary and it has nothing next to Airline Ticket #:. So I looked around MVJ, found FAQs and here is what they wrote:

I don't see where I have the option to change my itinerary on MVJ Air, just change seats. Am I missing something? 

On 8/20/2022 at 10:10 PM, KTRaveller said:

didn't want to risk center seats

Do you mean center of the row of 4 or center in the row of 3? Because from what I understand selecting the window and aisle is not allowed when booking as a couple. Can you clarify? If the window/aisle combo is allowed I would go for that and hope the center remains empty. 

1 hour ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

You will do inbound Schengen immigration at LIS.  You will then do customs (red lane/green lane) at FLR.  And FWIW, you will often see "Florence" as "Firenza" which is the Italian spelling.

I am very thankful for your help. Firenza was a great point which I would have been oblivious to! I think I will roll the dice with the 1h 30m connection. Every other connection is 2h-2h30m so I don't feel it worthwhile to pay to upgrade to Air Plus.... besides the flights could still change. 

1 hour ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

FWIW.

 

https://scottscheapflights.com/guides/the-layover-guide-to-lisbon

Thank you Cilcianrqts. I did do a search for information on connection time in Lisbon but this didn't show up. If I am understanding correctly where I arrive from Canada, connect in Lisbon and end in Florence an hour is enough time. 

To make an international to international connection: 1 -2.5 hours

If you are traveling on to another Schengen country, you will connect in the same terminal as you arrive. An hour is a comfortable connection time. If you are traveling to a country outside of Schengen where you might need to go through security again, such as the US, 2.5 hours is safe. 

3 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

3 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Especially if you have to go through any passport control.

 

Which we have NO way of knowing, since the OP only mentions airlines.

 

We can assume that the inbound will be from either YYZ or YUL - but since TAP flies both intra and extra Schengen, no idea of the ultimate destination.

Oh sorry, here is my itinerary: Halifax to Montreal to Lisbon then Florence. 

I appreciate your help. 

Hi me again, the newbie European traveler. Is a 1h35m connection time in Lisbon arriving 6:00AM departing 7:35 AM an adequate layover time?

Arriving on Air Canada departing TAP PORTUGAL. 

15 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Out of curiosity, was this before or after they were posted on MVJ -- and if before, how much before? 

It was after. I wanted them printed so I could better compare and write notes. However when I booked my November cruise back in January the Viking agent was able to give me a PDF file of March's list of excursions and I started my research then knowing that the exact ones may change when my sailing opened up. When I compared the two, the excursions did not seems to change, if so not enough for me to take note. 

I have been able to obtain a pdf of the excursions for my upcoming cruise. I used the chat bot on MVJ. 

10 hours ago, lackcreativity said:

Your version (at 4.25 hours) will include the longer commute from Fusina, so I can't really tell how long you will have in Venice.

Oh my, I never even thought about the added commute time! Thank you so much once again. I so appreciate the kind help. ☺️

22 minutes ago, lackcreativity said:

Did you know that there is more detailed information on each excursion if you click in each of the boxes? I know it took me a while before I realized that.

 

Below is the description of the included excursion in Venice. The tour lasts 90 minutes. Maybe it seems clear to me because I have been to Venice several times before, so perhaps I am reading into what is there. A ninety minute tour would not include enough time to tour the Doge's Palace, or St. Mark's Basilica. I suspect that the "return at leisure" means you can add time on your own after the tour is finished, so you might have enough time to do more after the tour ends.

 

 

"A SCENIC TRANSFER TO VENICE’S RENOWNED PIAZZA

View this  fabled city from the Venice Lagoon’s languid, stunning waters and explore legendary St. Mark’s Square. You will explore La Serenissima (the Most Serene) starting with a leisurely cruise, passing magnificent waterside palazzos and piazzas and peering down the lapping, narrow canals that weave their way into the city’s medieval corridors. Disembark at the landing pontoon next to Palazzo Cornoldi, meet your guide and take a short walk to beautiful St. Mark’s Square, crossing the four elegant bridges that link the waterfront. After a short orientation tour, enjoy free time to visit the splendid Gothic-Byzantine St. Mark’s Basilica and its grand Campanile bell tower and admire the Doge’s Palace and other nearby attractions. Enjoy a gelato here, sip an espresso or just soak in the medieval ambience. Return to your ship at leisure via a complimentary shuttle boat from the landing pontoon next to Palazzo Cornoldi."

Thank you for your kind reply lackcreativity. For the Mediterranean Odyssey cruise in November they have the following as the included tour: 

At a Glance: St. Mark’s Square

INCLUDED

  It states we "see" the Doge palace. Do I see the inside or the outside? 🤷‍♀️

8 hours ago, molymoo said:

One change I would like to see is more "real" information about the excursions.  Right now all you have to go on is a generic "easy", "moderate" or "demanding" and having taken ones in all of these categories they are not really useful in determining your ability to manage the trip.

I agree, the excursion descriptions aren't detailed enough. Such as with my future sailing and Venice where they have "At A Glance: St Mark's Square". Does this mean you glance at it as your are shuffled quickly passed by it or is it a tour that goes inside the Doge Palace? Not enough detail for my liking.

Also it is disappointing to hear that circumstances allow for persons who aren't fit enough to join a tour beyond their abilities. This disappointment goes both ways. I feel bad for persons who innocently join a tour which they can't enjoy due to their inability to keep up and feel bad for those who are able bodied and miss out on the full experience due to be being held back by the less able passengers. Of course able bodied persons can leave the group and go their own way but in my opinion this is unacceptable because we all pay for these excursions and expect to get what we paid for.

If Viking is reading this, I echo fellow passengers in calling for better excursion descriptions with an emphasis on clear language what exactly the activity entails.

18 minutes ago, molymoo said:

As I recall we did receive email "reminders" from Viking as we neared our departure date ... specifically when there were more "requirements" in place throughout the world (ie: last summer / 2021).  That said, I would not rely solely on Viking to guide you along the way.  They do update things in MVJ regularly but you have a lot on the line ($$$) and should monitor things yourself as well.

 

Thank you Molymoo. I will do my due-diligence but it is reassuring to know that Viking will also be sending me reminders. 

I am getting ready for our November Mediterranean Odyssey sailing. On My Viking Journey there is a link to a PDF file with all the requirements (I noted that this document is updated regularly). As a first-time Viking customer and this being our first journey to Europe, the information is a bit confusing for me. But I did find a couple of interesting statements in My Viking Journey and I wonder if more seasoned Viking cruisers could tell me if this is in fact the case and I can rely on Viking to guide me through the process.  

What I  found in the FAQ section was: 

"Additionally, if the first country along your journey has country-specific travel requirements, we will send you an email reminder". 

In the Explore Safely section it states: 

Travel Requirements

38 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Affirmative, credit cards are widely accepted in Europe.

 

Personally, we order the equivalent of CAN $20 of foreign cash for every country we are visiting, prior to the cruise, as I consider it insulting to tip guides with foreign currency. Part of my cruise research is to confirm each country's currency and current exchange rate.

 

Correct, in Europe, the Euro is not used in every country.

Thank you so much Heidi.  This is exactly the advice I was looking for.  I am a Canadian as well... Maritimer. ⚓

Hi everyone. We are booked for this itinerary in November.  This will be our first trip to Europe. I have read that credit cards are accepted widely. I would like advice on how much cash and in which currency to bring or exchange when I am there. This would be when I want to buy something and the vendor doesn't use Interac. From what I have read Euros are not accepted/used in every country.

Thank you 🙂

I booked our first Viking cruise today with air.  What's my next move? Do they call me and ask if I want Air Plus? 

Thanks :)