jabrown40

We are on the Sea right now, and took one included tour - a walking tour in Santa Marta. It was terrible, and I ended up leaving the tour. We walked down one street. Entered a “museum” and the guide basically went from exhibit to exhibit, explanations went on forever. Decided to sit it out, and 30 minutes later, still waiting. It was only a two hour tour, someone later they spent an hour in there. I left, and walked on my own. Carriage ride tour in Cartagena also a waste. Guide was very difficult to understand, and it was his first time. At the end they dropped us off in a tourist trap of shops. Took us to a fort that many did not expect or have the ability to climb. I think some of the descriptions of tours are misleading, and you don’t really get a decent idea of what you’re doing. From now on I’ll be booking my own, at least in the Caribbean.

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We are aft on Deck 4 in the Caribbean, and have experienced some pitching and rolling. First time on Viking, and first time I’ve ever had to take Dramamine. Fortunately it was night time, so helped me sleep. Have felt a little queasy a couple of times, but passed after eating.

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just had a burger there today, asked for medium rare, and that’s how it came. It was very good, but the burgers and steaks are definitely lacking seasoning. No dresser in the closet, but we seem to have plenty of space for what we brought on a 10 night cruise. I’ve only walked thru the buffet and glanced at the salad bar. Seems pretty typical.

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Now I feel like an idiot for trying to explain what was never a change in policy to the beverage manager. He was nice enough to provide some bottles for the mini bar, now I feel bad.

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It was never resolved. I reached out to Tellus@Viking- later they sent me an email that we should have the mini bar replenished, but did not specify alcohol. They said they called the ship. The manager called us, asked what we’d like to have stocked, told us it would be restocked daily. 5 minutes later, he called back and said he was sorry, he thought we were in a higher cabin. Really? Said we could not get alcohol. I gave up, bought some rum in the duty free shop, and decided to just enjoy the trip.

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I forgot to add a couple of positives - our room steward John came with our luggage, supplied us with extra towels and asked what else we needed. We mentioned diet soda only, ice, towels and just regular coffee for the machine. Came back from dinner, everything taken care of, and air conditioner working!

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We finally made it to dinner at 8:30 which was really 6:30 our time, but just felt tired and frustrated. My dinner was delicious- Chilean sea bass and a crab soufflé. Jim ordered the New York strip from the daily menu but unfortunately it was tough and tasteless. Staff was all over us trying to arrange something else or make it right, but we were so tired we just wanted to go to the room! Jim ordered some room service soup, hot and very good. Took a frozen mudslide from the bar back to our balcony and just relaxed. Even though the ship is here overnight, I’ll never fly in the first day of the cruise ever again. We only did it because of the free air and transfers. Mistake. Looking forward to a good night’s sleep, and starting fresh!

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Are minibar replenishments just soda?

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7:00. Still no luggage. Have called twice. Also had to call because air conditioner barely working. Seems better now.

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Finally the big day has arrived! After getting up at 4 o’clock in the morning and enduring a four and a half hour flight from Chicago we finally arrived to beautiful sunny skies in Puerto Rico! We received free transfers from biking, and the process could not have gone smoother. They were there to greet us at the airport along with several other passengers and before we knew it we were off to the pier. Unfortunately, once we arrived, it was already close to 330 in the afternoon. There was absolutely no line at the check-in counter, and the glass of champagne as we boarded was a nice touch!The only place to get anything to eat at this point was at the pool bar grill, where we had some fresh fruit, and I had a piece of seared Ahi tuna from the grill, not bad. The hiccup occurred when we went down to guest services to purchase our silver spirits package. It was my understanding that the new policy was any cabin that purchased a silver spirits package would have alcohol replenished in their minibar as it was used. We are in a DV4. The young woman in guest services told me that this was not true, that it was reserved only for those in higher level categories. I have sent off an email to tellusatViking ************ to see If I can get clarification. Also, the amount of onboard credit from my travel agent is not correct. I did show her my email and copy from the travel agent showing the correct amount which she scanned and then said we would have to wait for confirmation. I have also sent an email to my travel agent to see if she can clear it up on her end. My only other complaint, is that it is almost 6 o’clock here and I still do not have any luggage. We have not met our cabin steward, and I only have two towels in the bathroom. Hopefully all will be resolved soon.

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You had me at Beef Wellington ! How was it?

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Looking at 5-7 inches is snow in the next two days, but supposed to stop from Sunday night to Monday night! Will breathe a big sigh of relief when we’re wheels up. Did a little happy dance walking out to my car after work last night! Packing starts today.

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I like the freedom of not having a heavy bag while touring or shopping. I leave my larger wallet at home also. The little mini holds essentials.

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I’m just the opposite. I carry a little Vera Bradley mini crossbody. It hold my phone, a couple of credit cards and money.

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Good to see you here Fpacifico! Obviously we’re all eagerly anticipating our vacation. I had to chuckle with the OP as well, it seems that’s all I’m thinking about, trying not to talk about it too much at work - I’m sure those staying in the Chicago winter don’t want to hear about it. We also had the same concern with the flight. First time ever we didn’t go the day before, because the ship overnights in PR before leaving. Can you share that travel emergency number? Calling for “chance of snow “ that Monday, but who knows in Chicago.

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We leave on a Viking cruise next week for the Caribbean and Columbia. I chose Viking based on many of the comments on the Viking board as well as the reviews. It’s true there isn’t a casino, but we never went in the past. No children under 16. No art, photographers, jewelry sales, etc. All rooms have balconies, no formal nights. Price point was less than some of the other lines. King sized beds, decent sized rooms. Also, no issues bringing your own spirits or wine aboard, can be consumed anywhere on the ship. I’m afraid I’ll never enjoy a mass cruise line again, but we’re booked on HAL in July because of itinerary, New England and Canada in the summer. It’s frustrating to Plan and spend money on a cruise That wasn’t right for you, and not everybody has the time or money to try a lot of different lines. Thats what’s so great about these boards - if you can get the information you’re looking for, it will help narrow your choices.

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It really doesn’t leave enough time to do anything except walking around the tender area for a few minutes.

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I’m all for hearing others views and sharing opinions. It just becomes ugly when one thinks his or her opinion is all that counts, and no one can agree to disagree, with grace and humor. On the original subject, I had posted earlier about watching my downloaded content from my dvr on the Comcast app on the room TV. On Celebrity, one could attach an hdmi cord. Would love to record the Olympics and then watch after downloading.

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We are booked on Veendam July 7th leaving from Boston. We chose to spend extra time in Boston and Montreal vrs a second week repeating the same itinerary. We’ve never been to either city, very excited to be in Boston on the 4th!

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Is there s way to see offerings at the buffet each night, perhaps on the tv or dailies? It would be nice to know in advance

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For sure! But, I’ve heard the evenings are a little quiet on Viking, or sometimes I just like putting on my robe and chilling in the room for a while, mainly wanted to see some of the Olympics. Hubby and I really enjoy a couple of series. Last thing I want to watch are the news stations on vacation! I usually don’t want to get bogged down with 2 hour movies at 10 or 11 at night, a quick series is perfect.

Well, guess that doesn’t work. Can always watch on the phone. The shows are actually downloaded on the device, always good for passing time on a plane as well. No streaming involved.

Has anyone ever done this on their Viking Cruise? Or, does anyone know what TV's they may have on Viking Sea, and if there are HDMI ports on the TV to connect to in order to watch downloaded content on your device? I don't want to stream, just watch what I have from my xfinity dvr app.

I have been on a few NCL cruises, and our last one was very disappointing. However, we would go back on one with the right itinerary, but plan all meals in specialty restaurants, and keep expectations low. But .. they did have excellent entertainment on our cruise, and a great cruise director.

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