Mich3554

Since I have mobility issues, ship travel makes it easier for me. We have a land trip planned in Sept (which does include the Bordeaux River cruise) and am starting to dread the land portion as it is much harder on me. At least renting a car ameliorates it some, but hauling luggage multiple places (even as light as we pack) is just harder.

Love the beds here too…..maybe too much!

We are still on the Orion, got on in Bangkok, will get off in Vancouver. We did not fly directly to Bangkok, but flew to Bali so DH could dive for a couple weeks. Then we took a flight to Bangkok. We were there 4 days, on our own. We stayed at the Okura hotel. 4 days was about $800 total, including a very good breakfast buffet. Taxi to the hotel was inexpensive, as were local dinners. We did catch a flight out to Chiang Mai to meet up with friends. We had a car booked to take us to Laem Chang to meet the ship and I think it cost about $50 total. Our 4 days in Bangkok, transport (not including the side trip) and food included probably cost us around $1000. Extensions provided by Viking are really not worth it. We did it once, last year before the world cruise and it just was not a good value for our $$. We could have stayed at the same hotel (or better) for less. The only difference is that there is some research involved.

Temple Street Market did not. It was cash only.

Just pulled into Hong Kong this morning. Everyone had to get off the ship and do a face to face with immigration before they’d let us back on. I went on the hunt for an ATM while waiting to reboard (my excursion doesn’t leave until this afternoon). The port is attached to a very upscale mall. Name a designer, the store is there. After quite a bit of walking (and acquiring others on the hunt for the elusive ATMs) we finally found the single bank that had a bunch of ATMs. Anyone looking, it’s on the third level back in a corner. Then I had to find myself out of the maze of the mall. I had a couple of wrong turns to get my way out. We were told in the port talk that the markets mostly accept cash, not plastic. I’m guessing the mall was the exception!

For us, no.

We were offered an upgrade from a DV to a PV for peanuts. Maybe $100 pp? Viking knew what they were doing when they made their offer because we now book a PV. I did just meet a woman on this cruise who got upgraded from a PV to a PS. She told me that this cruise was for their 40th anniversary. Maybe it happens more frequently on a milestone occasion?

We are currently in a PV with a slider. We did the world cruise with a door, and TBH I really don’t find it that much of a difference. I find slider is harder to open and harder to secure.

We had a LOT of $$ left in our account at the end of the 22-23 WC. Other than some shopping, we shipped back a bag out of London and then since we were continuing on to NYC, Viking carried our OBC over until it ran out. The balance left paid our alcohol tab and our gratuities for 2/3 of the separate cruises it took to get us to NYC.

This is a better deal, not worse. If the credit is not used by the end of the cruise, it’s refunded to them.

This is what we did for our first cruise. We booked a trans Atlantic (only cruise with rooms available) in Sept for Dec. Payment was due almost immediately, but while we were on that cruise, we booked the next for a 6 month payment date. Since that cruise, we have always had at least one cruise on the books. I am embarrassed to say we currently have 4 in the pipeline right now, and DH is talking about booking another while on this cruise!

So much this! Very well said. We are on a 50 day itinerary right now, Bangkok to Vancouver. When we booked it back in 2021 and are at $620/pp/day in a PV.

We are on the Orion right now, and will be docking in Vancouver in May. We try to tip out (only Viking staff, not guides) in USD in all but European cruises, where we tip in Eiros. We will be doing it on this cruise.

There is a certain something that keeps us at Viking. The no children, no casinos, no hard sell is a big chunk of it, but the other part is when we got onto the ship yesterday, the second Viking employee on the ship said ‘I know you!’. Dinner last night, at least 3 waitstaff welcomed us aboard, they had been staff on previous cruises we have been on. We could cruise cheaper, inevitably. But we are happy for what we receive and are comfortable with the familiarity. If stuff happens where we feel we aren’t receiving what we want, we may look elsewhere. Right now, not really interested.

Anyone going to Thailand, be aware that Thailand is NOT moving towards cashless. We switched SIM cards at the airport….cash only. Same with taxis. Even the car and driver we had that took us from Bangkok to Laem Chabang wanted cash only.