kag3120

We were just on the Orion (Feb-Mar). FYI, the planetarium was there but CLOSED for the duration of our itinerary (Auckland to Sydney, Sydney to Bali). And, I believe it was expected to remain closed for the duration of this entire cruise (Grand Pacific Explorer—several legs, ending in May in Vancouver). They did have an astronomer on board, but still, we were disappointed. I do agree it takes lots of space in the upper Explorers Lounge, especially when it’s not open anyway☹️ PS. best I could tell, the ship appeared to be in excellent condition. That said, I didn’t really explore all that much.

I can’t comment on 6029 or 6035 but 6027 definitely has the pilaster. In that room now on Orion.

Thanks, millybess. I agree about them not taking much space BUT we are committed carryon only packers. So, EVERYTHING matters😆 Besides, I think his have handles which is what “takes up space”. I wonder if they have them somewhere but you have to inquire. Anyone know?

Trying to streamline (husband’s) packing for our upcoming 30+ day cruise! There are several sea days this time, new for us as we’ve only done port heavy cruises thus far. So, hoping to use fitness center this time around. Husband often packs those resistance bands when we travel. Anybody know if they’re available in the Orion (or other ocean Viking ships)? Thanks so much.

I’ve been following your travelog with interest as we’re doing the Auckland to Bali cruise in February. The Bonorong Sanctuary is also sold out on our itinerary and you mentioned you took a taxi to go there. Sounds like a great idea. Did you have to arrange ahead of time or was it easy to get one just walking off the ship? Thanks again for your “Almost Live” commentary. I’m enjoying it and learning a few things too!

Thanks to all. The champagne, martini, gin tastings etc would be fun. 🍸🥂🍷🍹 hopefully one of them will be offered on his birthday. Thanks for the reminder about joining the Roll Call. We’re doing the NZ/Aus/ Bali (31 days) so maybe we WILL have 12 new friends! Appreciate all the ideas!

Thanks everyone. We have had the good fortune of celebrating an anniversary and Viking sent us a gorgeous little cake. But what I was looking for were things that were offered on sea days to do that aren’t necessarily advertised. Like I’ve heard there’s a cognac tasting? I’ve read about different classes or other things on board sometimes offered on sea days. Just don’t know what they are as we never took advantage. Jim Avery—a party with 12 friends would be fun. Too bad we don’t know anybody else on the cruise! Not sure we’re charming enough to make 12 new friends so fast😊 🙂

Although we’ve done a couple VO cruises, they were both very port intensive. So we didn’t spend much time learning all what the ship has to offer. Our upcoming cruise (New Zealand, Australia, and Bali) is a longer one with plenty of sea days. Including my husband’s birthday. For you more experienced cruisers, do you have some suggestions about what I might plan to do to celebrate the occasion on board that might be fun/ different besides just booking a restaurant reservation? Thanks for your ideas!

Following….

We were planning to walk to our hotel after disembarking (end of July). However , it was pouring! We hadn’t arranged a taxi but the Viking rep called one for us. Didn’t wait long. That said, there were quite a few people waiting besides us. I’d arrange a taxi in advance if we were to do it again. It rained almost constantly the three days we were in town. Even with just carryon roller boards, pretty miserable to go far with luggage.

My husband is vegan and, like you, I am not. On last summer’s Homelands cruise, my husband was very pleased with the options he found. Especially in the World Cafe. Even at the Chef’s Table, they actually came up with a substitute on the spot for his main course. Manfredi’s, likewise. However, we are definitely not foodies, so may be less discriminating than many😊

Clay, we just did this trip last July after Homelands. We booked through Fjord Tours (your link above). We secured everything through them—including the Flam hotel which I hadn’t been able to book independently. We did the trip from Bergen to Oslo. Thru them, booked a hotel in Bergen—stayed the night we disembarked at the Bergen Bors hotel (prettiest breakfast room ever) in a walkable location from the Viking dock. It’s also incredibly close to the Fish Market and the Tourist office where we got tics to Edward Grieg’s house (also recommend this day trip/concert). Then the next morning began our train/fjord/ bus journey. I was surprised how well coordinated each leg was—no need to worry about logistics. Again thru our singular Fjord Tours reservation, secured an overnight in Flam, excellent upgraded seats, easy to store our bags (but we only do carryon). All through their easy to use website. Hotel in Oslo-Thon Opera. Couldn’t be simpler--right outside the train station in a great location. So so easy to use their Flytojet to get to the airport after two nights in Oslo. Highly recommend this trip and again, the logistics were all worked out. It felt like being on an organized tour since everything was so easy, yet we were traveling independently. Hope it works out for you. We just loved it. A highlight!

FYI re tea options…..While on Viking Homelands this summer, I lost my voice. The lovely cabin steward brought me an electric kettle, along with a nice assortment of teas. I was able to keep it in my room consistently for a few days. I returned it to her after I was better and also returned to my American coffee habit. (I had no idea this kettle was available to use—my cabin steward suggested it.)

We just returned from the Homelands cruise. We flew on Air France, KLM, and Delta. We used the Away bigger carry on. We were able to bring them on board each airline even though we were sure we exceeded the relatively meager weight allotments on all but Delta (FYI it is total weight of ALL your carry on items added together). Surprisingly, there were NO questions re our bags, no weight checks. Perhaps because CDG and Schipol are having so many other problems, but I didn’t see any strict management of carry on bags. We love our Away §(bigger)carryons. Packs alot, quality materials, smooth rolling. Easy to maneuver. Recommend!

We sailed on the Star in 2016 and just recently (7/2022) did the Viking Homelands cruise, once again on the Star. Different cabin but same corridor, PV1. To our eyes, the cabin was as wonderful as we’d remembered. All finishes looked new and fresh. Furnishings were in great shape. Frankly, I expected to notice more wear and tear on the ship. It felt like a pretty new ship to us. And friends who travelled with us, new to Viking, raved about the ship’s quality. Not saying some areas may have needed updating, but we sure didn’t see it.