duquephart

Send you a copy of what?

So ----- buy a cruise in order to determine arrival & departure times?

No.

I believe you pay full freight - not just the difference. Not logical but we're talking Viking here.

How 'bout the lotion, shampoo, etc.?

I'm seriously considering getting a private tour for the last full day aboard ship (arrive 7 am and disembark the next day). I'd want to tailor the tour to do things other than those "covered" (as above) the following day. Hard to know what will be covered well enough though. Last full day of extension is on our own. Any bright ideas as to other "must see" and/or private/small group tour guides? Thans for everything so far!

I was thinking it would be. Why would Viking stoop to such a thing?

We are staring to get serious about researching excursions, etc. for our "Ancient Adriatic Treasures" cruise next spring. The description of "Day 1" of the Istanbul extension reads: "Disembark your ship for a visit to the striking Blue Mosque, stepping inside to admire its ornate interior. Continue to the Underground Cistern to glimpse its illuminated interior, a space supported by 336 columns. Then, set out on a scenic cruise along the Bosphorus Strait while savoring a tasty Turkish-style lunch. Back on land, visit the Grand Bazaar for a presentation on Turkish carpets, as well as time to browse the many stalls. The rest of the day is yours to explore at your leisure." Can someone here interpret this Viking Speak for us? What does "stepping inside" mean? What does "glimpse its illuminated interior" mean? What is a presentation? Is this all a thinly veiled "keep them busy" type waste of time between disembarkation and hotel check-in? Please help.

They will let you purchase another cruise pretty much anytime you like.

Nice that it worked out but doesn't seem like something to plan for.

Waking up "achey each morning" is no way to enjoy a cruise/vacation.

Often enough, negative reviews are at least authentic. Planted positive/glowing reviews are the scourge of the system. Check out car dealer reviews sometime if you are a bit short on belly laughs. John (George, Bill, Aaron, Tom/Dick/Harry) was soooo patient, knowlegeable, up to date, informative, balh, blah, blah. He took us through the process, answered all our questions, never applied any pressure, blah, blah, blah.

Underwhelming seems to be the common denominator.

I quit as soon as they got to fertility issues.

Clickbait that could have been done in one third the time.

"Viking" and "Michelin Star rated" should never appear in the same sentence. Food on Viking ships can be, and often is, quite good. Michelin Star is an entirely different level.

Train ride to and bus ride into both spectacular if you're into pristine wilderness. Talkeetna is a pretty neat town - go visit Aurora Dora.

Denali ext. is very nice. Just don't plan on seeing Denali.

It does seem that Viking should be willing to sell you a transfer regardless of when you plan to arrive so long as you agree to be at a given place at a given time as though you had just arrived. The fact that you have not very recently stepped off an airplane should not matter.

Did you point out that you have post extension?

We arranged our own air on our next cruise, which includes pre and post extensions and thus "free" transfers. My understanding is that we just need to inform Viking of our arrival and departure circumstances - where and when to find us upon arrival for the pre and where/when to take us for departure. Presumably we will be on the same flights as those who had Viking arrange things anyway.

Welcome to Viking Cruises.

And in this corner ---------------------

Apples to apples stateroom level? Three grand is a big drop.

A guy I once knew went out to a nice place on Easter and, without thinking, ordered Hasenpfeffer.