PasadenaDave

There are many people whom I will not share this with as they are skittish as it is

I really enjoy your daily updates especially since we were in Athens for two nights with Viking last May. We are oddball cruisers as we dislike the large ships and we are not big drinkers on a cruise Viking or not. We do enjoy Bourbon, but we generally pick up a bottle of gin in port and keep it in the fridge. Clay turned us on to that idea. Enjoy the rest of your journey and thanks for taking us along.

The park road around Acadia gets crowded as well. I find that I spend less time in National Parks these days and more time in the less crowded adjacent areas. Two years ago driving from Colorado to California my route took me through a corner of Bryce. I had been there prior so I have seen it, but every parking lot that I drove by was full…..so much for a short walk. I did stop but at another location away from crowds and still beautiful. I was also able to go off the path in this less traveled area

Thanks for all the input here. We get the Oceana inserts with the Wall Street Journal and my wife found the Oceana London to London cruise which sounded interesting but that got me thinking.....does Viking have a similar itinerary? What time of year would you all suggest? I'm thinking early May or early September. Would September have better weather? I think possibly May could still be very damp and chilly and since my wife has arthritis (spent full day in bed in Vancouver due to rain in September prior to cruise) expected wet and chilly is a factor. Having said that we avoid travel if we can between Memorial Day and Labor Day....leave that to people with children

I will now make it a point to avoid Charlottesville. Between the torch march a few years ago with "good people on both sides" and now three football players shot, how can anyone ever conceive of going there!!! emphasis on the fact that I'm making a point that bad things happen everywhere

We were on HAL Quebec to Boston in September got Covid on next to the last day. We wore masks whenever in a crowd such as elevator or waiting in a line. Yes, you can use precautions but current strains are highly contagious. We both had similar to sinus infection symptoms are were positive for about ten days but continued with intermittent chest tightness for three weeks and considerable fatigue for four weeks after testing negative. We are both fine now. We are both double boosted. Earlier this week I flew Philadelphia to Los Angeles and only about 1 in 20 passengers wore masks. Yes, I did and will when I do a round trip to Sacramento on Tuesday

Thank you for this thread. We have five cruises with Princess, we cruised with Viking Istanbul to Venice last May and then HAL Quebec to Boston in September. After our experience with Viking, returning to a huge HAL ship was less than enjoyable, thus except for say a quick Vancouver to LA on Princess, our days on Mega Ships is over. We really enjoyed Viking. Highlights were thermal spa, no nickel and diming, no casino, no photographers. They treated us very well and laundry was excellent for self serve. We get the Oceana brochures with the Wall Street Journal and like the British Isles cruise Portsmouth to Portsmouth. Our question, it appears the overall satisfaction between Viking and Oceana is similar with one besting the other in some categories. Do you think it is worthwhile our dipping our toes into the Oceana experience? While price is always an issue, for the purpose of gathering information up front payment or included or not included items is not a consideration at this stage. Thanks in advance

Cruise ships have a large impact on a community like this but not a lot of spending. There are more than enough non-cruise tourists as it is. I grew up outside of Portland and back in the 70's we complained of crowds of people from away. I was back there this past week and even in November Portland has a lot of people. What many don't understand that one of the issues is staffing. Maine has the oldest population in the US. With the crackdown on seasonal work visas, many seasonal businesses struggle to get help in the summer and some actually close down Labor Day weekend for the season due to lack of staff. As for Bar Harbor, Mount Desert Island does not have much affordable housing and many employees commute in from Ellsworth and further. Large cruise ships are quite a strain on the island.

Agreed, thanks for taking us along with you. Mike looks exhausted after flying overnight. He must really love you since you are still alive after having taken the photo AND publishing it!

I also enjoyed your review, the good and bad. On our Viking Cruise we saw no entertainment, not our thing, but I really enjoyed the spa with steam, snow and hot tubs which were far superior to other lines and were included in the price. I also never got into challenging conversations or arguments with other passengers which i have on other lines. Viking cruisers don't tend to bring up "politically charged" subjects at the dinner table.

I saw another thread talking about getting Paxlovid prior to a cruise "just in case". The thread mentioned that it is essentially impossible to get a prescription for the drug prior to getting sick and it requires a kidney function test within 6 months prior so that you don't go into kidney failure from the drug if your kidneys are compromised. This could all be wrong and this drug might not be right for Omnicron varient. I got Covid on a HAL cruise last month and am recovered. I also have kidney disease stage three. Knowing what I know of Paxlovid, I would not take it. I do think if you are immune-compromised you might want to think twice before being anywhere that isn't close (hours) from a major modern hospital.

Correct, but if a Medicare recipient has a claim for damages, any sum paid by Medicare has superior rights of reimbursement prior to the individual with the claim. I applaud the OP with his persistence. Bringing a claim against a corporate behemoth is not easy. Throw Maritime Law and a contract of carriage into the mix along with a low staffing environment….you get the picture.

We did a HAL cruise from Quebec last month. While it was far below Viking standards and that was before we got sick, boarding was seamless and smooth like Viking. We never stood in one place or even sat. That had more to do with a large new cruise terminal and boarding early while most cruise passengers were still flying

Doc, thanks for all your postings and wrap up. We agree on fancy dining, but that isn’t why we cruise as we have great local restaurants. People have to remember what one person dislikes another enjoys. I compared our Viking cruise last spring to other lines, Princess and HAL and there was simply no comparison Viking stood head and shoulders above others for most of the same reasons you listed. We also agree that some journeys are too long. We found Istanbul to Venice about 1-2 days too long for us, although we would cut nothing out. Simply some of us just don’t like being away so long…….and that is ok.

It would not be so annoying if the message wasn't We are currently experiencing a higher level than expected call volume, we appreciate your patience..... The higher wait times is fully expected and likely the call volume is the expected level. If they would allow one to leave a message to get a call back in the order the message left, then there would not be such animosity. I also had challenges with phone answered by guest services and in room dining on the ship. Customer Service failed

Doc thanks for taking us on the journey. I do have one observation however. You were in one photo in which you look different from your headshot on your identification photo. I guess that you stopped using product in your beard! No worries, I have not looked a certain way for years

I had bought some limes on shore and when the Viking Steward saw some torn up limes in the fridge he replaced them with fresh lime slices. Bringing a bottle of gin on board is a much cheaper method than the Silver Sprits Package for those of us who don't drink a lot.

Your experience with lack of customer service mirrors our experience last week. We were challenged in getting food to the room, fortunately we were laid up for only two days

All of you got better service than we did. There was a major ***** session in our meeting room/holding pen as we waited to get off the ship

You sound as nightlife crazy as me. My typical at home is sleep 9:30-5:45. Same on cruises except bedtime is a little earlier. I do like my sleep. but Viking beds after walking on hard rough surfaces, oh my.

Maritime Law is unique from jurisdictions on land. You might have an uphill battle especially that the evidence was tossed. I can envision their defense being, if you had difficulty opening the bottle you could have called your room attendant. I'm not blaming you or anyone else, only pointing out the challenge you face. I likely would have been as persistent in attempting to open the bottle.

We agree on one point, that it is guidance. Guidance also calls for boosters and masks while traveling. Many on planes today don’t wear masks and sadly many have not been vaccinated

We check bags and have only had them misplaced on our way home

Clay, you most certainly will get much less than what you pay for on HAL. We were so done with the lack of answers, phone calls not picked up on the ship, crowds and noise that we vowed never again……and then we got Covid. Service after being confined to cabin without seeing test results only a phone call got only worse. We were diagnosed Thursday and it off Saturday but to experience a dinner to be delivered at 5:30 take three extra phone calls and the cabin attendant to follow up for us got part of our order at 8:30! Passports were not returned until we we ready to walk off but no one could assure us of that. The holding pen for Covid people awaiting departure was a giant ***** fest. We will follow Andy’s lead in the future….Viking Only, except perhaps a four day run out of San Pedro. We would also go on vessels of less than 1,000 passengers. We are home now with good flight through Chicago from Boston. The ORD to LAX was American 787 in Premium Economy which to me was better than what business class used to be. For that length of flight there is no need to lie flat. Exhaustion from Covid but picked up dogs and did laundry, oh no laundry on HAL! $30 per bag. I have to say I am glad that I am double boosted.

I mentioned in an earlier comment how we were disappointed in our cruise. I kept a tally on Issues with HAL and Good Thing in Notes on my Phone. Prior to listing here, I will summarize our experience pre cruise. We saw this in an advertisement in February and the three stops in Newfoundland hooked us. Those three spots if done via flight and car involve days of driving. I have also always wanted to go to Quebec in summer as I have been there three times skiing in February. My wife had never been. First disappointment was when flights at 11:00 from LAX was discontinued and we had to fly at 0730 which required us to stay the night before at an airport hotel. Second disappointment was Halifax disappearing being replaced with Portland where I grew up! We traveled on Saturday prior to Wednesday boarding to spend time in Quebec. My sister and niece joined us for two days as she drove up from New York State. We stayed two nights at Chateau Laurier enjoying excellent food and hop on hop off bus. We then stayed two nights at the Chateau Frontenac using frequent flier miles. I also had dinner with a friend who was a roommate of mine 37 years ago and he and I climbed the Grand Teton together in 1987. He lives in Quebec City. Issues We had with HAL, This list is in no particular order other than when I jotted them down Lack of answering the phone pre cruise, on cruise for guest services, room service and later medical Wrong breakfast order almost daily Wheelchairs stored in hallway, we were on deck 11 and it might have been a disabled floor. multiple mobility scooters stored by elevators and in hallway which might be a maritime law issue on emergency exiting Not easy getting excursions, that was understandable at some ports Hotel where we stayed had a pre-excursion staying there,we were encouraged to buy the bus transport to ship as cabs would be busy, $30 per person. We took a cab, no wait $10 for the two of us, much easier and cheaper than HAL transport 25 minutes to wait for shuttle to town, this was even worse in Baie Comeau Long two hour dinner at Pinnacle Grill good, food but very slow, painfully slow 8:44pm hear loud music from band in our cabin and it went on until after 10:00 Buffet closes at 8:00 does not open until 6:30 am Crowds on board and long queues for leaving ship via gangway or tender Good Things Good food normal or smaller portions Quick delivery of distilled water to room Easy embarkation we arrived by cab at 11:20 for a 12:40 boarding and had no wait for security or Identification check Good replacement of ports when weather caused two missed ports Room attendant was helpful and caring. Illness I started feeling poorly Tuesday night, I get allergy induced sinus infections on most trips to the east coast. I tried calling medical on Wednesday but the phone was never answered. Thursday they answered and ordered us in room and came with Covid tests, four hours. I was negative my wife positive. They told me I could go ashore to see Urgent Care. The winds came up and that caused me not to go ashore. I did go to Medical at 5:00, they answered the phone and when I spoke to the nurse she was furious that I left my cabin against orders. I reminded her of our phone conversation and she backed down telling me she gave me wrong information. I am to remain in cabin with wife with presumed Covid. Friday wife took proctored Covid test as we had a strong signal in Portland, negative. They came and gave me a PCR test and I was positive. We are on lockdown. We had continued room service but dinner on Friday night was to be delivered at 5:30, at 6:45 I called and they said they would look for it. We followed up at 7:30 no answer on phone, at 7:45 cabin attended came by when she heard about food issue she had guest services call us within 10 minutes and we finally got dinner at 8:30! Saturday morning when guest services called at 8:15 to say that our escort would be by at 9:00 they inquired about our breakfast order and they were shocked when we told them it had not arrived and we told them the issue from the prior day. We got coffee and toast at 8:45. We joined other Covid people in a holding area and they finally gave us our passports which was the most troubling issue of all, no one could give us an answer on the passport issue, very frustrating. The gathering of other Covid people was a huge complaint session with various levels of misinformation given to all by Guest Non-Services. We promptly got off the ship and to the airport in under 15 minutes in taxi, much more efficient than a HAL shuttle. I know Boston so I knew there was no need for ship provided transport. Two easy flights home. masked up all the way. We have been decent during Covid and on cruise with masks on elevators, crowds etc. Today other than being tired which is typical after two weeks and cross country flights with time change. This supports that vaccines and boosters work. I have been on seven or eight roundtrip flights during Covid always masked including to Europe. My experience since June has been that less than half mask on flights. That tells me that there are likely a half dozen or more asymptomatic unmasked positive people on each flight, the chance of spread from a positive person to another if both masked is not great and if one is healthy and boosted this is not an issue, look at all the healthcare providers continually exposed but masked they are good. We were on Viking Ocean in May and spitting into tubes daily wasn't a burden and prevented spread. We won't be back on HAL and likely stick to cruises with less than 1,000 people from here on. Before you respond, remember the Cruise Critic guidelines. This is my experience. Your mileage may vary, I don't care what you might think of my travel in the condition that I was in yesterday. I felt pretty good, just tired, and I was masked.