Messybill

For Dutch Harbor On Your Own? Really? Maybe they should check Uber.

@Heidi13 do you have any thoughts about why Viking might make this kind of change? And what are your thoughts on Dutch Harbour? Thanks.

So basically, Viking figured out they have to do two May 2nds, so they canceled Dutch Harbor? Just kidding -- that's ridiculous. But now we get two days in Seward instead. Pretty sad really. Dutch Harbor looks like it was about the most interesting place we are going in Unalaska (the Aleutian Islands), and there are plenty of others that we won't get to see.

Agree agree agree

Exactemente!

You must have been going west?

OK CC, perhaps we will cross paths at some point. If so we look forward to an opportunity to taste some wine and discuss!

Really? Maybe within the same ES class... But anyway it's the location that matters

We will be on board Viking Orion from Hong Kong to Vancouver. Our Viking Calendar says we will be crossing the IDL on Thursday May 2. It seems to me that if indeed we do cross that line (and I am sure we will), there must necessarily be a -23h time change that night -- meaning -- we will wake up the following morning on Thursday May 2nd. We have reservations for Manfredi's on May 2. Do we, like Bill Murray, have to order the same meal again? Any advice especially from experienced cruisers (@heidi13, @Jim Avery) would be greatly appreciated...

Actually there are some pretty good wines available, if your horizons are not limited to some particular region. As with anything, personal preferences might cause your experience to vary. We find the SSBP to be good value, and we will continue to purchase it.

For what it's worth: For our recent trip to Brazil (up the Amazon), I took the YF vaccine at age 64, after conferring with my doctor. DW chose not. We both survived (who had the better odds? I'm not sure, except that although we were deep into the yellow part of the CDC's map of South America, we only saw one mosquito in all of Brazil). I had some soreness and bruising at the injection site. We both took the malaria pills. ( DW quit early). None of this cost anything significant because insurance covered almost all of it. Of course, your experience may vary.

It's really not about picking up on the concept. There are and continue to be many alternatives. All are privately owned and whatsapp is owned by a certain corporation that many of us choose never to deal with. (with apologies to WSC).

This is our seventh Viking cruise but the first time we have managed to get tours of the ship. The laundry tour is impressive, and the bridge tour is super cool. The guest services people arrange these as circumstances permit and by request. Definitely worth doing.

We got the bridge tour today on Viking Sea. Amazingly cool. Our guide was one of the second officers and he was clearly a very traditional mariner. He thought it very important to explain how all of the really important movement of the ship was done with manual controls. There was also other evidence of traditional practices like the rack full of flags and pennants I MillyBess and I also got to sit in the chairs used to conn the ship (is that the right term?). I have a picture of MillyBess sitting there wearing a Viking helmet but unfortunately I am not authorized to post it.

@TayanaLorna Do you recall if there was an Astronomer on board who talked about the southern sky?