UWDawg

During the 21/22 WC on the Star, while most announcements were in public areas only, there were also announcements which were extended into our stateroom. I think most of the inside the stateroom announcements were associated with the weekly crew drills, but there were a few of the daily announcements which were reached inside as well. Distribution is controlled by the bridge/ communications folks, not something you can do from within the stateroom.

@FetaCheese The EHT22 Viking Oceans Thanksgiving offer was posted originally by @SBR2022 and, based upon the link attributes, was an email offer. I didn't receive that email, but re-posted with the generic link and copied the more specific applicable voyage details found at the Viking web link for the benefit of our CC group. I did receive the THX22 Viking Rivers Thanksgiving email offer, which @Clay Clayton had posted, but I received my email at 9:09 PM, while Clay had already posted the offer at 6:40 AM. Maybe emails to me are delayed because it takes more time for the electrons to reach the west coast than the east coast. Since it appears the Viking offers are targeted to sub-groups, us sharing the offers within our CC group allows others to be aware and take advantage of possible promotions for which we are not part of a Viking targeted group.

Thanks @SBR2022 Offer EHT22: https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/EHT22/20221019 THANKSGIVING SALE FREE Roundtrip Airfare plus Prepaid Gratuities Offer ends Nov 30, 2022 Offer EHT22: Offer valid on bookings made from Oct 19 to Nov 30, 2022. Free roundtrip airfare and prepaid gratuities valid on Jun, Jul & Sep 2023 departures of Eastern Seaboard Explorer; Sep & Oct 2023 departures of Canada & New England Scenic Shores; Dec 2023 & Feb 2024 departures of Hawaiian Islands Sojourn; Oct-Dec 2023 departures of Classic Panama Canal Passage; Oct & Nov 2022; Jan & Feb 2024 departures of Panama Canal & Central America; Oct & Dec 2022; Jan & Mar 2024 departures of Panama Canal & the Pacific Coast. Call for details. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Additional restrictions may apply. Airfares vary on other itineraries, gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City; call for details. Book by Nov 30, 2022; pay in full by Dec 15, 2022 or at time of booking if within 90 days of departure. Offer expires Nov 30, 2022. EHT22 appears to be an update/revision of Offer FDA23 <see post #240>, which ended Oct 31, adding prepaid gratuities, but only a subset of the voyages originally covered in FDA23.

FYI... I believe that both the Viking Star and Viking Neptune will at Cozumel on Christmas Eve this year. We were in Cozumel on Christmas Eve back in 2014. We spent the afternoon scuba diving then caught a ferry and shuttle to Cancun. Christmas just wasn't quite the same in the relatively warm weather and at a resort versus back home with family. Celebrating with new friends aboard a Viking ocean liner sounds much more appealing than being at a resort with a bunch of strangers.

I'm told center and lower cabins have less movement if you are inclined to motion sickness. 6010 is closer to the elevator/ stair bank, so might be more convenient to get to the different venues. If the extra space is worth the upgrade costs, go for it, otherwise, once you are out of the cabin, all are treated equally.

Cape Sounion (Temple of Poseidon) We visited the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion in April during the 21/22 World Cruise. Beautiful drive away from the hub-bub of Athens.

The explosion took place in Taksim Square, which is about 3/4 mile (1.4km) from where the Viking Star docked when we were there in April. We didn't go to Taksim Square, but rather to the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia, and the Grand Bazaar. The Grand Bazaar is about 2.2 miles (3.6 km) from Taksim Square.

We're just average folks from Sammamish, Washington. I'm not sure if we have a bad case of "it," but based on various national surveys, a majority of our entire city has "it." https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/data/think-seattles-rich-this-eastside-city-tops-census-list-of-richest-u-s-cities/

To each their own. We found the Chef's Table to be a fantastic experience. An opportunity to venture and explore from a gastronomical perspective. They were happy to oblige with substitutions and if something was over or under-cooked, they would take it away and rectify the concern. Yes, there were a few items which we didn't like, but on the whole, the Chef's Table meals enhanced our enjoyment of our cruise. And while billed as a tasting menu, we found it to be a full meal plus. Add to that the wine pairings... it is well beyond something we would normally do. It represented to us something in which the rich and famous might indulge occasionally, but we could do nearly as often as we liked on a Viking Ocean voyage.

Yes, once aboard you can make your reservation with the Viking phone app or on the TV screen when you board the ship or you can stop by Guest Services and they can help you with your reservations.

Replicating a post #6447 I added on 10/11/22 on the 2022/23 World Cruise roll call. In the attachment you can see photos and a summary of each meal menu. During the 21/22 WC the Chef’s table menu changed every 3 to 4 days. We only managed to get go to the Chef’s Table a few (23) times. Generally, I would schedule a dinner at the Chef’s table on sea days when the menu changed. I counted 12 unique menus, but I may have missed a couple. Below is a list of the meal themes on the days we had dinner at the Chef’s Table. You’ll note that as the journey became very port-centric, with few sea days in April and May, we didn’t make it to the Chef’s Table often. Chef’s Table meal themes 1. Jan 13 California Cuisine 2. Jan 17 Asian Panorama 3. Jan 22 Sweet & Salty 4. Jan 26 Lotus 5. Jan 28 Erling's Scandinavian 6. Jan 31 Xiang 7. Feb 6 A Gastronomic Journey Through Time 8. Feb 9 Venice Carnival 9. Feb 12 Great Britain 10. Feb 15 Xiang 11. Feb 18 La Routes des Indes 12. Feb 21 Asian Panorama 13. Feb 25 Great Britain 14. Mar 1 Thailand 15. Mar 5 A Gastronomic Journey Through Time 16. Mar 7 Erling's Scandinavian 17. Mar 13 Thailand 18. Mar 15 Sweet & Salty 19. Mar 21 Lotus 20. Mar 25 Asian Panorama 21. Mar 28 La Routes des Indes 22. April 14 Indonesian 23. May 5 Great Britain Attached is a PDF file with photos I captured of our Chef's Table meals 217184533_ChefTableMeals.pdf

During our 2021/22 World Cruise access to the bow deck on level 3 was restricted. I only recall two times when passengers were allowed in this area: 1. to better see the Amalia Glacier, and 2. for a World Cruise group photograph. In each case the deck was only open for a short time. I occasionally saw crew members swabbing the deck. Otherwise, that area appeared pretty quiet.

Replicating a portion of a previous post (#5194) related to liquor tastings and mixology classes during the 2021/22 Viking World Cruise: One of the advantages of the Viking World Cruise is the included Silver Spirits Package. My wife and I aren’t big drinkers, so the SSP didn’t factor much into our selection of Viking for our round-the-world cruise to celebrate my retirement. Our selection of Viking was primarily due to how much we enjoyed a Viking River Cruise on the Danube a few years earlier, plus the rave reviews I read about prior Viking World Cruises… Especially how well they looked after the passengers on the Covid-shortened 2019/20 World Cruise. [Kudos to the AndyAndJudi.com travel blog.] The included SSP relieved anxiety as to how much drinks might cost during meals or the nightly entertainment shows or at other times throughout the day. The included SSP allowed us to select the premium wine pairing when we ate at the Chef’s Table restaurant. It wasn’t too many days after we boarded in LA that the wait staff stopped asking whether we would prefer the premium wine pairing and just made that the default; after all, everyone aboard was on the World Cruise and had the included SSP. It’s probably related to the demographic as to who takes a world cruise, but I don’t recall a single instance of seeing anyone aboard who I thought might have over-imbibed, despite all the passengers having an open bar available to them throughout the cruise. But the intention of this writing isn’t intended to be about the SSP, but rather about a couple of the intangible benefits associated with being on a Viking World Cruise, which I didn’t find in the published literature: wine and liquor tastings. … beyond the SSP, a couple of the perks of a Viking World Cruise are the numerous wine and liquor tastings that take place during sea days. During a world cruise there are plenty of sea days. I found that in addition to their standard stocking, Viking tries to include regional selections from the area in which we are sailing, particularly with regard to wines. They also add variety, so it doesn’t become overly repetitive over a 138 day world cruise. Given the number of sea days on a round-the-world cruise, I thought I might resort to drinking to pass the time, after all, with the included SSP, I’ll essentially have availability to an open bar, so I can drink most anything I want, whenever I want and not have to worry about the cost, other than the fact that most of the time when I drink I get a splitting headache, and aboard a rocking ship I might be more inclined to sea sickness if I drink. However, throwing caution to the wind, I started off on a path of exploration (or perhaps self-destruction) and came up with the strategic plan of having a different drink every night… just one drink… so that by the end of the cruise I wouldn’t be such a naïve drinker, and would learn what types of alcohol I preferred. I abandoned that strategy after a few days aboard because in part I lacked both the discipline and creativity to track a nightly new drink selection, but also, I found through the Viking Daily that there might be other like-minded people because Viking was offering both wine and liquor tastings. So instead, I shifted my approach to participate in the offered alcohol tastings to accomplish my objective of being a more informed drinker. Below is a list of most of the various ... liquor tastings offered during the 2021/22 Viking World Cruise along with a collage of the photos I took to help track the liquors and mixed drinks I tried during those tastings and mixology classes. Viking WORLD CRUISE 2021/2022Liquor Tasting & Mixology Classes1/15/22 – Gin Tasting 1/17/22 – Port Tasting 1/17/22 – Single Malt Tasting 1/18/22 – Tequila Tasting [Excursion] 1/19/22 – Martini Tasting 1/20/22 – Armagnac Tasting 1/24/22 – Tequila Tasting 1/25/22 – Martini Tasting 1/26/22 – Rum Tasting 1/27/22 – Vodka Tasting 1/28/22 – Aquavit – Crossing the Equator Celebration 1/28/22 – Digestif Tasting 1/29/22 - Grappa Tasting 1/31/22 – Martini Tasting 2/5/22 – Mixology Class: Vodka Drinks 2/6/22 – Mixology Class: Digestif Drinks 2/11/22 – Premium Scotch Whiskey Tasting 2/17/22 – Grappas, Limoncellos & Liquors 2/20/22 – Mixology Class: Shaking & Stirring 2/22/22 – Mixology Class: Layered Drinks 2/26/22 – Mixology Class: Using Juices 3/1/22 – Mixology Class: Brandy Cocktails 3/5/22 – Mixology Class: Winter Hot Cocktails 3/7/22 – Italian Liquor tasting: Aperitives & Digestives 3/13/22 – Mixology Class: Creamy Drinks 3/21/22 – Mixology Class: Twists on Basic Recipes 3/27/22 – Mixology Class: Martinis 3/28/22 – Mixology Class: Party Cocktails 4/14/22 – Old Fashion Liquor Tasting 4/20/22 – Cocktail Tasting 4/28/22 – Northern Italian Grappa Tasting 5/2/22 – Aperitive Drinks 5/4/22 – Tiki Cocktails

By the time I joined the world cruise in LA, the voyage contained ONLY world cruisers. The wine tastings were available to all aboard, you just had to sign up through Guest Services. Note that everyone on the world cruise did have the Silver Spirits Beverage Package (SSBP). There were some premium wine tastings which did include a charge, but most of the wine tastings were no additional charge... perhaps because they had the SSBP. I don't know if the leg of the journey from Fort Lauderdale to LA had any wine tastings. Perhaps someone else can weigh in. The wine tastings were held on sea days. On a world cruise there are a lot of sea days and what better way to pass the time?!? 🍷

Offer RML https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/river/RML/20221101 Reduced Fares and FREE International Airfare [on select European river cruises] It appears that the RML offer, which I previously reported under post #195 has been updated and extended through Nov 30, 2022. Reduced Fares FREE International Airfare* Offer ends Nov 30, 2022 Call 1-888-632-6823 for details Ask for Offer "RML" Offer RML: Offer valid on bookings made from Nov 1, 2022 to Nov 30, 2022. Free international airfare valid on Mar-Aug 2023 departures of Rhine Getaway, Danube Waltz, Paris to the Swiss Alps, Holland and Belgium; Apr-Aug 2023 departures of Romantic Danube, Cities of Light; 2023 departures of Grand European Tour, Capitals of Eastern Europe. $499 per person international airfare valid on Mar-Aug 2023 departures of Paris & the Heart of Normandy, Lyon & Provence, Passage to Eastern Europe; $499 per person international airfare valid on departures of Mar-Jul 2023 Elegant Elbe. Air pricing vary per itinerary/departure. For additional itineraries, call for details. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Additional restrictions may apply. Airfares vary on other itineraries, gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City; call for details. Book by Nov 30, 2022; 2023 departures pay in full by Dec 15, 2022; 2024 departures pay in full by Apr 30, 2023. Offer expires Nov 30, 2022.

While not necessarily representative of shorter ocean voyages, Viking's World Cruise offered an extensive selection of wines, which changed through the voyage to include wines representative of the region in which we were located at the time. Viking WORLD CRUISE 2021/2022Wine Tastings1/13/22 – Vertical Sauvignon Blanc Tasting 1/14/22 – Vertical Cabernet Sauvignon Tasting 1/15/22 – Vertical Chardonnay Tastin 1/17/22 – Port Wine Tasting 1/19/22 – New World Wine vs Old World Wine Tasting 1/20/22 – Sparkling Wine Tasting 1/21/22 – Dessert Wine Tasting 1/22/22 – Italy vs France Wine Tasting 1/24/22 – Argentinian Wine Tasting 1/26/22 – Chilean Wine Tasting 1/27/22 – South African Wine Tasting 1/29/22 – Italian Wine Tasting 1/31/22 – Rosé Wine Tasting 2/3/22 – Riesling Wine Tasting 2/5/22 – Central European Wine Tasting 2/6/22 – Sherry Wine Tasting 2/9/22 – Chilean Wine Tasting 2/11/22 – Premium Italian Wine Tasting 2/17/22 – Local Uruguayan Wine Tasting 2/26/22 – Portuguese Wine Tasting 3/5/22 – Spanish Wine Tasting 3/7/22 – Italian Wine Tasting 3/11/22 – Italian Wine Tasting 3/21/22 – Croatian Wine Tasting 3/27/22 – U.S. to Croatia Red Wine Tasting 4/14/22 – French and Italian White Wine Tasting 4/20/22 – Mediterranean Red Wine Tasting 5/2/22 – Old World Wines Tasting 5/4/22 – Port Wine Tasting 5/5/22 – Open Bar Wine Tasting Plus, there were several blind wine tastings which took place during the voyage where we were tested as to what we learned by trying to identify particulars such as the grape variety, country of origin, vintage, alcohol content, and vineyard of selected wines.

Oh NO!!! Now I'm worried that MessyBill might trade MillyBess for a new, conforming model, and whether the the new, "improved" MillyBess, with a re-wired brain, would be nearly as proficient at solving puzzles as the existing model. If not, WWW@W wouldn't be nearly as much fun. And if LindaS272, when she goes out in public, would rather not be wearing PJ's, let's hope she is wearing SOMETHING. And if TayanaLorna would rather not wear her robe when Room Service arrives should we ponder what kind of bathing suits women wear on the beaches of PR? And when we see Liz will we now all be wondering if she is wearing the latest retro-fashions from Europe or is that really loungewear? And if I take advantage of the infinity pool should I restricted my dining on the Aquavat Terrace unless I first change into some casual clothes or at least some loungewear? Will this nightmare ever end? Can't we all just learn to live with each other's flaws? I'd consider watching the next episode of The Real Love Boat to find out how this saga continues, but since I don't have a Paramount+ subscription, I'm left hanging on the edge of my seat in suspense to see what other provocations await our Viking cruisers. Maybe someone aboard can can relieve my anxieties by FaceTiming me during dinner so I can get a live feed as to what folks are wearing these days in the various dining venues.

For the 21/22 World Cruise the following excursions were offered from Haifa: • Haifa Panorama & Acre (INCLUDED) • Jerusalem & Bethlehem (159) • Nazareth & the Sea of Galilee (149) • Caesarea, Tel Aviv & Jaffa (149) • Eternal Jerusalem & the Yad Vashem Museum (149) • The Ruins of Caesarea Maritima (69) • Scenic Haifa & Amphora Winery (79) Descriptions of these excursions are available on the Viking public web site:https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/world-grand/viking-world-cruise/index.html#itineraryday/114 Click on the excursion title block for details of each excursion. The following excursions were NOT offered at the port of Haifa during the 21/22 WC: • Rosh Hanikra, Kibbutz Visit & Acre’s Bahá’í Gardens (N/A) • Overland to the Holy Land (N/A) • Panoramic Shores of the Sea of Galilee (N/A) Because the revised itinerary of the 21/22 WC added an additional day in Israel at the port of Ashdod, which is nearer Jerusalem, some additional excursions were offered from Ashdod, several of which were similar to those offered from Haifa. • Jerusalem: City of Three Religions (149) • Jerusalem & Bethlehem (159) • Masada & the Dead Sea (149) • Tel Aviv & Jaffa (59) • Eternal Jerusalem & the Yad Vashem Museum (149) • The Land of Two Thousand Caves (79) • Old City & Modern Jerusalem (Included) • Grand Overland to Jerusalem & Haifa (599) • Scenic Jerusalem (99) I found descriptions of the Ashdod (Jerusalem) excursions under Viking’s Cities of Antiquity & the Holy Land cruise:https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/cruise-destinations/eastern-mediterranean/cities-of-antiquity/index.html#itineraryday/7 I did the Masada & the Dead Sea excursion from Ashdod and the Jerusalem & Bethlehem (day 1) and Caesarea, Tel Aviv & Jaffa (day 2) excursions from Haifa. Although a great meal was provided on the Caesarea, Tel Aviv & Jaffa excursion, too much time was spent in traffic so the Tel Aviv panoramic portion was a essentially a drive down a main arterial street in stop and go traffic; so instead I wish I had opted for the half-day Ruins of Caesarea Maritima or another excursion. Otherwise, I found the excursions I took while in Israel to be FANTASTIC and I would recommend them to the point that I would be tempted to repeat them next time we visit those ports... although I would also explore and consider private excursion alternatives for new adventures or possible less expensive options. Since this is your first and maybe only trip to Israel, I would think that the Viking the Jerusalem & Bethlehem excursion (or a separate similar private excursion) would allow you to visit and walk amongst well-known and popular historic locations, in addition to the panoramic views from the bus, van or car. However, it can be an hour and a half drive from Haifa to Jerusalem, so you will likely be in a vehicle for at least three hours of the day. So take time to soak in the views along the way as well.

Thank you @OneSixtyToOne. Here is the online link and information I found associated with Viking River Offer NRT22: https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/river/NRT22/20221101 Reduced Fares FREE International Airfare* Offer ends Nov 30, 2022 Call 1-844-779-0237 for details Ask for Offer "NRT22" Offer NRT22: Offer valid on bookings made from Nov 1, 2022 to Nov 30, 2022. Free international airfare valid on Mar-Aug 2023 departures of Rhine Getaway, Danube Waltz, Paris to the Swiss Alps, Holland and Belgium; Apr-Aug 2023 departures of Romantic Danube, Cities of Light; 2023 departures of Grand European Tour, Capitals of Eastern Europe. $499 per person international airfare valid on Mar-Aug 2023 departures of Paris & the Heart of Normandy, Lyon & Provence, Passage to Eastern Europe; $499 per person international airfare valid on departures of Mar-Jul 2023 Elegant Elbe. Air pricing vary per itinerary/departure. For additional itineraries, call for details. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Additional restrictions may apply. Airfares vary on other itineraries, gateways and departures. Air offers not valid on Alaska, Hawaii, San Juan and Mexico City; call for details. Book by Nov 30, 2022; 2023 departures pay in full by Dec 15, 2022; 2024 departures pay in full by Apr 30, 2023. Offer expires Nov 30, 2022.

In our case, Crash-Test Dummy = spouse. If we want table, seat or lounger in a particular area, one of us will occupy the spot and reserve the adjacent seat for the other while she/he selects a meal from the World Cafe buffet line, then we trade off when the other returns. My DW prefers an aisle seat near the back row of the Star Theater so that she doesn't have to navigate the steps or step over other people, so she goes down well in advance of the start of the show to nab (and occupy) her preferred seat. I, on the other side, like to arrive just in time, so I'm the one who is “piggish”, “rude”, “bad mannered” and “selfish”, by slipping into the adjacent seat which she has saved/reserved for me. And if I'm really lucky, she will have ordered my beverage of choice. Of course many times, this being Viking, the servers will have often preemptively placed my beverage order upon seeing me or my spouse. I really am spoiled in addition to being piggish in this way. 🐷

@happydays6 While I don't see a roll call specific to the 24 Nov 2022 Journey to Antiquities (Athens to Rome) sailing on the Neptune, there is a roll call for the collection: Athens to Rome (24 Nov to 1 Dec), Rome to Barcelona (1 Dec to 8 Dec), Barcelona to Ft. Lauderdale (8 Dec to 22 Dec): December 8, 2022 to Ft Lauderdale – Pre World Cruises, includes Athens (Nov 24th), Rome (Dec 1st) & Barcelona (Dec 8th)

The 2022/23 WC on the Neptune was announced/posted on 9 Dec 2020. #1 The 2023/24 WC on the Neptune was announced/posted on 19 July 2021. #2111 The 2023/24 WC on the Sky was announced/posted on 21 Aug 2021. #2384 So here we are more than a year later… the 2024/25 WC could be announced at anytime. As @Heidi13 has mentioned, since the 2022/23 and 2023/24 WC's closely followed the original 2021/22 WC itinerary, and since the ports included in these WC's are largely a collection of the ports included in Viking's Asia & Australia and Mediterranean voyages, pulling together the Viking WCs for the past couple of years was probably straight forward. I'm thinking the next Viking WC will likely be a complete overhaul and require more planning and coordination. Plus I'd guess that they are looking for the geo-political situation to settle a bit. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2886878-do-wc-itineraries-change-much/?do=findComment&comment=64152840 This is a link to the start of the thread where @Heidi13 started a wish list of desired ports for a World Cruise: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2767734-december-22-2022-world-cruise-ft-lauderdale-to-london-incudes-la-dep-jan-8th/?do=findComment&comment=61127696

You can check out the Neptune's bridgecam at the following site... check out the time-lapse https://viking.panomax.com/Neptune

There are no exposed connection points to the TVs in the staterooms. I was hoping that there might be an HDMI input to connect, but sadly no. The TVs are mounted with no access to the back, sides, top or bottom. If you have a Philips screwdriver you might be able to remove the mesh screen at the bottom of the TV to see if you can find a port, but even if you do, the TV remotes do not have controls which allow you to change the input source. The TV remotes are tailored specific to the Viking offerings. You can't even connect a set of headphones (no audio jack and no bluetooth). However, if you have the Owner's suite, you can connect to the TV in the in-suite conference room, but that is for output display from an external device (e.g., your laptop) to the flatscreen, not an input to a Tivo or similar. On the Star, I found that the large flatscreens in the Explorer's Lounge and in the deck 3 gallery had HDMI connections available, but no remote controls. The ship's A/V guy told me that I would need to coordinate with Guest Services in order to connect to those flatscreens.

University of Washington Husky => UW Dawg