20Cruise20

Squawkman: Nancy summarized the served buffet. As we walked the buffet line, the staff asked for input on the items we preferred as well as the portion size. In this particular experience, our drinks and dessert were ordered directly from a table menu.

Cruise: Viking Star - Panama Canal & Central America - Feb & Mar of 2023 If the excursion that you are referring to is: The Panama Canal Railway - Connecting Two Oceans, I can share my perspective. We enjoyed the excursion and are not train buffs. Most of the train ride was close to the canal. The ride provided a much different perspective than what we experienced on the ship. Was it non-stop viewing of water? It was not. However, there was plenty of canal viewing. A light snack provided on the train as well as some history from the guide. I spent a fair amount of time at the open area at the rear of the train car. Snapped a few photos, watched many ships of varying sizes that we passed, and enjoyed a closer look at the landscape and visible birds. Coming close to the Bridge of Americas was stunning. Much more so than the ship experience. Upon completion of the train portion and arrival at the train station, a rest room stop before boarding the bus. (There were several Viking passenger train cars.) Lunch was at a local restaurant. (Pretty sure that we were seated at tables for four.) A served buffet with a choice of drinks. It was very good. Literally driven across the street from the restaurant for a photo stop with some great water views and a couple of small shops. The last component was the bus ride through Colon to return to the ship. While it was interesting to see Colon and hear some additional history, nothing extremely notable on the bus ride. Would I recommend? Yes. If your purpose is to truly experience a different canal perspective and understand more about the Canal, it's a good choice. A few other general cruise observations along with background perspective: We are both active adults without any limitations. We have cruised 3.5 times with Viking. (Partial Trans-Atlantic when "the world" shut down due to the pandemic onset, Med Odessey, and Homelands.) We found this cruise to be a really nice mix of sea days to enjoy the ship as well as excursions to enjoy the ports. Similar to the original poster, we researched partial versus full transit and settled for the partial based upon the schedules as well as the ability to spend a bit of time in Florida before and after the cruise. (Not snowbirds, simply wanted a winter getaway from PA.) We had no regrets that we selected the partial. My advice for the ship transit experience, try to get to different places on the ship for the lock entry and exit. High deck, low deck, front, back, and each side. If you have questions about the ports or other excursions, please ask. Happy to provide my input for your consideration.

Details on a different excursion. In the spring of 2022, we enjoyed the Meštrovic Gallery & Diocletian Palace excursion. A short bus ride and some history provided. Less than 20 on the excursion and no other groups at the gallery. So, it was a very delightful environment. About an hour in the gallery and small grounds. If desired, a few minutes in the tiny gift shop. Back on the bus for the return trip to the old town and palace. About a 45 minute walking tour with expected narration. At the conclusion of the formal excursion, a choice to stay in town or return to the ship via bus. We stayed in town and had about a 15 minute walk back to the ship. Despite the two of us having different interest and appreciation of art/sculpture, we were both very happy with the excursion. We also both enjoyed the time in the palace and old town.

In March of 2022, we experienced the pre-excursion with the standard MO itinerary. Our stated hotel was the Hilton, however, about a month before our departure, the pre-excursion hotel was changed to the Marriott. Because we were traveling independently to Rome and taking the train to Venice, I contacted the Marriott directly for assistance to get to the hotel. Marriott made arrangements for a private water taxi from the train station directly to their property. The private water taxi experience was wonderful and one that we will never forget. In regard to the Marriott, the service by the actual hotel staff was excellent. All common areas were spotless. Similarly, our room was spotless. After a late afternoon check-in, we enjoyed walking around the hotel island capturing some wonderful photos. We also made the decision to have dinner at the hotel after check-in. The restaurant staff had trouble handling the large volume of Viking guests. The food, however, was very good. Conversely, the breakfast buffet had a lot to be desired. A good variety, but, not quality. We had challenges with the Viking staff at the hotel. Our challenges all revolved around ignoring required COVID test results, requiring additional on-site testing, and overscheduling of on-site testing. (Please reference the timing of our visit...Italy was just opening up in the spring of 2022. So, this will not be a challenge for current guests.) On day two, both the hotel and Viking had shuttles running about every 30 minutes from the "Marriott" island to the main tourist area. It was a two- or three-minute walk from the docks to St. Mark's Square. It was an easy process using the free Marriott shuttle. Late in the evening of the second day, our luggage was required to be in the hotel hall. For day three, we were provided with a morning time to be in the hotel lobby. Groups were escorted to a water shuttle, transported to the Venice port area, processed for embarkation, and boarded buses for transport to Fusina. It was a hurry up and wait process, however, it truly was simple. Because of the timing of our trip with Italian testing requirements as well as the port changes that were just beginning for Viking, we did not regret our decision of the Venice pre-excursion. If I've missed something about the pre-excursion or you have questions, please let me know.

Some more info for your consideration. Happy to elaborate on any of my points, if helpful. Paris and London: My husband and I did a Paris (5 days) and London (4 days) trip independently in 2018. (We included Ireland for 10 days, too.) Easy direct flights from the east coast. An easy, two hour Eurostar direct train from Paris to London. We worked with our TA on amazing hotels in Paris and London, some private tours (Louvre, Windsor Castle), some small group tours, and a lot of planned independent touring. We successfully enjoyed a mix of touring, relaxation, wonderful food with the help of our hotel Concierges, and very easy travel. (Note: It was our first trip to Europe.) Actual cruising: Two Celebrity cruises. (Caribbean and Alaska) A partial Viking Trans-Atlantic coupled with a cancelled Mediterrean Odyssey (MO) as the COVID shutdown occurred in March of 2020. (Miami to St. Martin to mid-Atlantic until a turnaround and return to the states without ever reaching Europe.) An actual MO cruise in March/April of 2022 with preceding independent travel in Rome, preceding Viking extension in Venice, and post-cruise Viking extension in Barcelona. So, I'll focus on summarizing the 2022 trip. Even with all of the masking and vaccine card reviews, our independent travel in Rome was simply amazing. We worked with our TA to find a wonderful hotel, privately guided tour of the Vatican, small group tour of Ancient Rome, and independent touring of the other famous sites and The Borghese Museum. An easy train ride to Venice to join the Viking pre-extension which was a disappointment. (The disappointment surrounded the unexpected change of Viking hotels, the actual Viking hotel, and the on-site Viking hotel representative.) I can't say enough good things about our wonderful Viking cruise and the great ports that we visited. We filled our port days touring with a mix of included and optional excursions. A bit of independent exploring, too. (Touring bubbles were in the process of being lifted on our cruise.) A disappointing post-extension in Barcelona. (The disappointment was the Viking hotel location.) But, a wonderful privately guided tour of Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell arranged through our TA. Note: Because of the state of flux with country regulations, testing requirements, and in-flux transportation challenges, we were aware that we might be disappointed in the Viking extensions/hotels, but, made the decision to proceed. While I can't reference the port in Rome, I can comfortably say that the port in Barcelona would be really, really easy to handle independently. The infrastructure, the signage, and the plentiful taxis at the entrance/exit location justify my statement. Compared to our Paris/London trip, our MO cruise felt like we were constantly on the go without the ability to audible from touring very often. So, from my perspective, a potential difference in the type of trip that I would pursue for a honeymoon. Plus, the bonus of the large cities that you are considering are really easy for independent travel. As for passenger demographics, I'm a very active and fortunately retired 60 year old. On my two Viking cruises, I felt very, very young. (On many excursions I had to make a concentrated effort to slow down and not make other attendees with walking challenges uncomfortable even though I wanted to speed things up.) Would I have felt out of place on a Viking ship 34 years ago for my personal honeymoon, absolutely! If I wanted to take a Med cruise for my honeymoon, however, the age factor would not stop me from considering Viking! Nor should it stop you. (Nice food and a fabulous crew are great for any age.) My advice: Prioritize the places that you'd like to have as the basis for your honeymoon memories. Identify the "things" you want to see at those places/cities to help make the determination of the appropriate length of stay needed. Use those pieces of data to help make the decision to cruise or to independently take a land tour. (Or, as some others have posted, a group guided land tour.) It sounds like you'll have a wonderful honeymoon with whichever direction you take.