UWDawg

Roger(s) that!

For what it’s worth. There are some informational “articles” or FAQ’s in the Support section on the Luggage Forward web site that provide additional information covering various topics: • My Account • How It Works • What can I ship? • Rates & Booking • Preparing & Packing • Pickup • Delivery • Guarantee & Coverage • International Shipments https://support.luggageforward.com/ The Guarantee & Coverage section has a response to the question: Can I increase my value protection? https://support.luggageforward.com/article/50-can-i-increase-my-value-protection You may increase your Value Protection at any time before your luggage is collected by the driver. Please call to speak with one of our forwarding specialists if you would like to increase your Value Protection. Best Practice: Luggage Forward recommends that you purchase enough Value Protection for at least 75% of the replacement cost of your luggage and all its contents. Get pricing now: http://www.luggageforward.com/book And of course you already mentioned that they already provide up to $500 per bag coverage by default with their service. https://support.luggageforward.com/article/238-value-protection Our Value Protection coverage allows you to be reimbursed for up to the full replacement cost of lost or damaged items. Each piece we send receives complimentary value protection of $500 USD to start. This may be increased should that not be sufficient. Increasing value protection: You can increase your Value Protection at any time before your luggage is collected by the driver. Please call to speak with one of our forwarding specialists if you would like to increase your Value Protection.

I was on the Viking Star for the 21/22 World Cruise. QuietVox systems were located in each stateroom on the desk, where they could be charged nightly. Each came with a new earphone which utilized as standard 3.5mm jack. If either the headset or QV didn't work, you could get a replacement at the Explorer's Desk on deck 1. At the start of each excursion the guide was supposed to check to make sure everyone had a functional QV that was tuned to the correct channel. In most cases that channel matched the tour bus number... the guide was supposed to set his/her transmitter to the match the bus number. If you forgot your QV or if it wasn't working, the guide could then get one from the Viking coordinators at dockside, so you didn't have to rush back to your cabin and delay the excursion. Because it utilized a standard 3.5mm jack, I was able to use my iPhone earbuds instead of the supplied "headset." That allowed me to listen through both ears and the quality of sound was much better than the standard supplied headset. These QV systems worked great and the battery in a fully-charged system would last the duration of the excursion. These QV systems seemed to be an upgrade from those we had when we cruised the Danube with Viking in 2018.

Thanks. Got it. I reviewed the links and, as you indicated, I found no special offer information or offer codes in the links. The only mention of a special rate for solo travelers was in the text of the graphic you included in your post #114 above. Also, I found no insightful information in the URL attributes. So, I'll continue to search for the Holy Grail, the Elixir of Life, the Fountain of Youth, and El Dorado.

@Clay Clayton For most of my travel and social media correspondence I use UWWolfe@gmail.com

@Clay Clayton Do you have a link associated with this offer that you can post?

De-coding the Viking Offer codes… some notes… I’ve been trying to figure out how to tap into and have visibility of the Viking offers, but I haven’t figured a consistent approach yet. In some cases I can use the following format www.viking.com/[offer code] and it will re-direct me to a more specific page with the URL format www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/[offer code]/[offer code initiation date]/ “ocean” might be replaced with “river” or “expedition” depending upon the offer. I can also replace the “us” with “ca” to get a Canadian version of the offer. The viking.com followed by /[offer code] format has worked for the following codes recently posted in this forum: • /JUL4/ => /promotions/us/jul4-lp.html => /ocean/JUL4/2022070/ • /ANT22/ => /expedition/ANT22/20220730/ • /SMD23/ => /ocean/SMD23/20220801/ While it doesn’t work consistently to get to a more detailed offer page, sometimes I can find that page using the specific format www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/[offer code]/[offer code initiation date]/ • /ocean/WMS22/20220729/ • /ocean/AFA22/20220812/ • /ocean/WPA22/20220806/ It appears that when I receive an email code, the embedded URL link has been several variable attributes including what I believe to be a personalized customer ID. I try to strip away these extra characters to find the base offer information. At the bottom of information web page, I’ve sometimes found a link found that if you click on the Offer Code at the bottom of the web page, it will expand text to see more specific details of the offer. The above approach provides only partial insight as to gain visibility of Viking Offer Code details. This approach did not work for offer codes EBD, WOV22, ARC22, or RVR23. Plus, I did need to first have the offer code and half the time I also needed the offer code initiation date. Then there is a new variation because the Offer Code “FLS” and link that @Heidi13 posted earlier today is a bit different in that the link provided directs to a web page with “FLSH” embedded in the URL instead of “FLS” but similarly the general offer information can be found at one of the following sites: • https://www.viking.com/promotions/ca/river/FLSH/20220820/ • https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/river/FLSH/20220820/ So, I’m just sharing my observations with you folks, who may have additional insights to offer. Here are some additional observations related to the links in the Viking offer emails I’ve received. Embedded in the URL links in my emails from Viking are a couple of variable codes. • contid= <= this is number, a 10-digit number followed by an underscore and then followed by another 10-digit number. This embedded code is the same in all my emails, yet Links posted by others have a different contid= code, so I’m thinking this is my unique customer identification code. • utm_id= <= this code always starts with “email_vrc.” and then is followed by an 8-digit number. This 8-digit number appears to increase with each subsequent email I receive, except the number has always started with the digits “54” and has always ended in the digit “2” in the 8th position. Also, the 7th digit has always been even. This makes me theorize that the 7th and 8th digits are not just part of a sequential number but are part of an intelligent code with some specific meaning. I suspect that these codes help to determine and track to whom the offers are extended as well as the means by which the offer is marketed. Some of the URL links I’ve seen are not direct from Viking, but from a Travel Agent, and those URLs have a different set of codes used to track the TA (agenturlid), clients or particular campaigns. Links in Viking offer emails I have that are older than 3 months ago seem to have expired and returned the following response: Either the offer you clicked on has expired, or we are no longer accepting responses from the form you submitted. I enjoy solving puzzles and recognizing patterns. The above is my attempt and exercising my brain exercise and passing time on a Saturday while my DW watches some chick-flicks on TV... ha ha

And a similar SMD23 offer for our Canadian neighbors at the following site: https://www.viking.com/promotions/ca/ocean/SMD23/20220801/

Following up on the posting from @Ksqrd I found the following information online: https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/SMD23/20220801/ 25th ANNIVERSARY SALE Best Available Stateroom FREE Silver Spirits Beverage Package $25 Deposit Offer ends August 31, 2022 Call 1-833-463-9982 for details. Ask for Offer "SMD23" Offer SMD23: Offer valid on bookings made from Aug 1 to Aug 31, 2022. Free category upgrade from Veranda (V2) to Deluxe Veranda (DV1), free Silver Spirits Beverage Package and $25 per person deposit valid on Mar-Oct 2023 departures of Mediterranean & Italian Sojourn; Italy, the Adriatic & Greece; Empires of the Mediterranean; Mediterranean Odyssey; Iconic Western Mediterranean; Italian Sojourn; Venice, the Adriatic & Greece; Apr-Oct 2023 departures of Ancient Adriatic Treasures; Ancient Mediterranean Treasures; Apr-Sep 2023 departures of Mediterranean’s Iconic Shores; Oct 2023 departures of Ancient Mediterranean Antiquities; Mar & Oct 2023 departures of Caribbean & Mediterranean Odyssey. Prices are in US dollars and for US residents only. Viking all-inclusive air with transfers available. Air does not have to be purchased to get cruise/tour offer. All fares reflect cruise taxes, port taxes and fees. Book by Aug 31, 2022; pay in full by Sep 30, 2022. Offer expires Aug 31, 2022

FYI... @Selion reported code AFA22 on 8/12/22 under post #71 with the following link, which would appear to identify the voyages to which the code applies: https://www.viking.com/promotions/us/ocean/AFA22/20220812? As you mentioned, the offer appears to end today Aug 17, 2022 OCEAN FLASH SALE All-Inclusive Voyages FREE Airfare & Special Fares Offer ends Aug 17, 2022 For me the link shows the following voyages: Australia & New Zealand (Sydney to Auckland) South America & the Chilean Fjords (Santiago (Valparaíso) to Buenos Aires) Amazon & Caribbean Adventure (Manaus to San Juan) Classic Panama Canal Passage (Panama City (Fuerte Amador) to Ft. Lauderdale) Iberian Explorer (Barcelona to London) West Indies Explorer (San Juan to San Juan) Panama Canal & Central America (Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Lauderdale) Atlantic Crossing (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Barcelona) Southern Atlantic Crossing (Barcelona to Buenos Aires) West Indies to Iberia (Barcelona to San Juan)

FYI... Link to the Captains Logbook for the 2021/22 Viking World Cruise: https://brochures.viking.com/view/682349859/

@DJVKN Yes… we’ve signed up for the 23/24 WC on the Sky, boarding in LA. Since the 21/22 WC missed out on so many of the ports we had hoped to visit, we decided to use our FCC to visit them. Originally, we signed on to the ’23 Grand Pacific Explorer, but fellow passengers convinced me that the WC incentives make it a better value. Of course, DW is still concerned about re-visiting the Mediterranean ports vs Japan and Alaska, but on the plus side the WC includes Hawaii, the South Pacific islands and India, which are not included in the GPE.

@DJVKNDiana, which of the cruises are you on in 2024? Is it the 23/24 Viking Sky WC departing LA on Jan 6 or the 23/24 Viking Neptune WC departing LA on Jan 9? Quite a few folks from the 21/22 WC signed up for one of the upcoming WC's in order to hit those ports which we we missed due to the revised itinerary. I'm guessing most will be on the Sky since the 22/23 and 23/24 Neptune WC's were pretty much full, but I think some are booked on each of the upcoming VWC's if I recall correctly.

@Pushka On the public Viking website, for the cruise, below is a list of the potential shore excursions to be offered for the ports from Athens to Aqaba. The actual excursions to be offered will likely be a subset of these. Athens (Piraeus), Greece * Panoramic Athens & Archaeological Museum Acropolis & Plaka District by Foot * Cape Sounion Delphi & the Oracle Beautiful Coastline & Ancient Wonders The New Acropolis Museum & Plaka District Greek Island Ambience in the City & the Kanellopoulos Museum The Full Acropolis Experience The Nelson Collection & Olympias Trireme [Priv] Athens by Electric Bike Ancient Corinth & Canal Haifa, Israel Haifa Panorama & Acre Nazareth & the Sea of Galilee * Jerusalem & Bethlehem * Caesarea, Tel Aviv & Jaffa Eternal Jerusalem & the Yad Vashem Museum Rosh Hanikra, Kibbutz Visit & Acre’s Bahá’í Gardens The Ruins of Caesarea Maritima Scenic Haifa & Amphora Winery Panoramic Shores of The Sea of Galilee Port Said/Cairo, Egypt The Great Pyramids & Sphinx (included) * Egypt’s Historic Highlights Treasures of Egypt The City of Alexandria Ismailia City & the Suez Canal Medieval Cairo The Great Pyramids & Egyptian Museum Port Said by Horse-Drawn Carriage Safaga/Luxor, Egypt The Temple Complex of Karnak (included) * Kings & Queens of Egypt Karnak Temple & the Valley of the Kings Luxor, Karnak & the Luxor Museum Bedouin Camp Jeep Safari Red Sea Snorkel Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt * Glass-Bottom Boat Ride Off-the-Beaten-Track Desert Jeep Tour Red Sea Snorkeling * St. Catherine’s Monastery Highlights of Sharm El-Sheikh Sharm El-Sheikh Beach Break Underwater World of Sharm El-Sheikh Aqaba, Jordan Aqaba Highlights * Magnificent Petra * Shobak Crusader Castle Wadi Rum: In the Footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia Wadi Rum: 1916 Arab Revolt Reenacted We were lucky enough with the revised 21/22 WC itinerary to get a second day in Aqaba, a third day in Israel, and a second day in Athens. That allowed me to squeeze in more excursions than would normally be available. I took in the following excursions: Aqaba, Jordan day 1: Petra Aqaba, Jordan day 2: Shobak Crusader Castle Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt 1. St. Catherine's Monastery, and 2. Glass-Bottom Boat Ride (Included) Luxor (Safaga), Egypt: Kings & Queens of Egypt [included the Temple Complex of Karnak, the Valley of the Queens (Queen Nefertiti’s tomb), and the Valley of the Kings (tombs of Tut, Seti I, and Ramses IX) Cairo (Port Said), Egypt: Egypt's Historic Highlights [Sakkara step pyramid, Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx] Jerusalem (Ashdod), Israel: Masada & the Dead Sea Haifa, Israel day 1: Jerusalem & Bethlehem Haifa, Israel day 2: Caesarea, Tel-Aviv & Jaffa Athens (Piraeus), Greece day 1: 1. Panoramic Athens & Archaeological Museum and 2: Parthenon and Acropolis plus a special Greek Heritage & Folk Show. Athens (Piraeus), Greece day 2 Cape Sounion (Temple of Poseidon) Some of my comments: • Petra was fantastic. Instead of the Viking excursion to Petra, I was one of about 30 people who took a private excursion to Petra through Jordan Horizon Tours (https://www.johtt.com/). This outside excursion gave us a couple more hours at Petra. They can tailor their private excursions to ensure they return to the ship in time. • I would skip the Shobak Crusader Castle in favor of the Wadi Rum reenactment excursion. The Shobak Castle was mostly an ongoing reconstruction of the original. • The Kings & Queens of Egypt excursion was very pricey because it included both lunch on the Nile River and Queen Nefertiti’s tomb in the Valley of the Queens. Queen Nefertiti’s tomb was the most impressive of all the tombs I visited. At the Valley of the Kings, the Seti I and Rames IX tombs were more impressive to me than King Tut’s tomb. • At the Sakkara step pyramid, they didn’t give us time to go into the pyramid, but instead went into a couple of well-reserved tombs which were nearby (Kagemni). • If you get the chance to swim in the Dead Sea, be sure to bring a bottle of fresh water to flush the saltwater out of your eyes; the salt concentration is so great that not only is it easy to float, but the saltwater will sting painfully if it gets in your eyes or on open wounds. • While I enjoyed Caesarea, I was underwhelmed by the Tel-Aviv portion since our panoramic tour of Tel-Aviv was basically limited to a bus ride on the main road due to stop and go traffic. I would instead opt for the half-day Ruins of Caesarea Maritima excursion or one of the other available excursions. • The panoramic tour through Athens was one of the best panoramic tours of the World Cruise; well-coordinated and competent guides. I was impressed by the Athens Archaeological Museum. Don’t confuse the Archaeological Museum with the Acropolis Museum; they are at different locations. If given free time in Athens’ Planka District, wander and explore the various shops and historical ruins. • The drive to the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion was beautiful.

@Pushka since the 21/22 WC visited many of the Passage to India ports (Athens, Haifa, Cairo, Luxor, Sharm el-Sheikh, and Aqaba), if you have any questions about specific excursions, I'm sure the folks on this forum would be happy to share their experiences and and recommendations.

Here are some comments and links related to Luggage Forwarding service that Viking uses which others might find useful... [which I pulled from the 22/23 World Cruise conversation]. You might find this Luggage Forward article useful: https://support.luggageforward.com/article/242-ship With the Viking World Cruise complementary Luggage Forwarding service for embarkation you are allowed one 50 Lb Standard Bag per person https://app.luggageforward.com/baggage_category 50 lbs (22 kg) MAX WEIGHT62 in / 157 cm (L+W+H)MAX DIMENSIONS And I had captured this page this past December 2021: Suggestion: Since Luggage Forward bags are picked up for shipment about 3 weeks in advance of the cruise, make a list of what you packed in that luggage (or boxes) so you will remember what not to duplicate when you pack the luggage you will be taking with you on your way to the ship. These days a quick cell phone photo might take the place of a physical list.

"Viking Star in Warnemünde am 01.06.2022 um 4:30 Uhr beim Einlaufen" The date format is Day.Month.Year rather than the U.S. convention of Month.Day.Year, so the video is from 1 June 2022. On January 6, 2022 the Star was at sea on its way to Cabo San Lucas.

Sorry for the delayed response. I returned last week from the 21/22 WC aboard the Viking Star and I'm still catching up. There were two tours to Montserrat offered. Below are their descriptions. I went on the longer, Best of Barcelona & Our Lady of Montserrat, excursion. It was a gorgeous drive to the abbey. Due to Covid restrictions we weren't allowed to actually touch the Black Madonna's orb during our tour through the monastery. We had a bit over an hour of free time following the guided portion of our visit to Montserrat during which we were given tickets to: 1. go to the small Montserrat historical and informational museum which included a short video overview and display of artifacts... this self-guided tour through the small museum begins and ends in a gift shop; and 2. participate in a wine tasting of the Abbey's liquors at a gift shop. Depending on the timing, you might skip these activities and instead pay to take the funicular higher up the mountain. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to take the funicular higher as a group of school kids were doing that and I would likely have to wait at least a half hour before there would be room for me on the funicular and so I wouldn't have time to go up look around and return before our excursion bus was scheduled to leave. However, going through the museum and the liquor tasting were both enjoyable activities. Since I hadn't been to Barcelona before, I was glad that the second day in Barcelona was added to our itinerary so that I could go on the Montserrat excursion as well as the included "Iconic Barcelona" excursion. I really enjoyed the "Best of Barcelona & Our Lady of Montserrat" excursion and definitely recommend it. Scenic Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey Activity Level: Moderate Duration: 5¾ Hours Category: Sightseeing, Special Interest Price: $79.00 Visit Catalonia's most cherished place of pilgrimage with a local guide on this unforgettable excursion. After a drive through the magnificent Catalan countryside, you will board a train at Monistrol de Montserrat station and enjoy a short uphill journey into the Montserrat range, home of Santa Maria de Montserrat, a stunning Benedictine abbey perched more than 4.000 feet above the valley. The abbey has stood here, nestled among dome-like rock formations and craggy peaks, for centuries. During your visit. you will learn about the daily lives of the monks and the story of "La Moreneta," the "Black Virgin" in the abbey's basilica. You will also see an audiovisual presentation, "Montserrat Portes Endins," or "Montserrat Behind Closed Doors," and enjoy a tasting of typical liquors before proceeding to visit the basilica and the chapel of the Virgin. Best of Barcelona & Our Lady of Montserrat Activity Level: Moderate Duration: 8 Hour Category: Recommended, Shopping , Sightseeing, UNESCO Price: $119.00 Enjoy a visit to Montserrat Abbey and the beloved Güell Park, one of Antoni Gaudi's most whimsical creations. Departing the ship, you'll drive through the Catalan countryside through the mountains of Montserrat and its Benedictine abbey, perched 4,000 feet above the valley below. Your guide will explain the daily life of the monks and the story of "The Black Virgin," the statue found in the abbey's basilica. Afterward, drive back to Barcelona to Güell Park, designed by Gaudí between 1900 and 1914. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its fluid sculptural forms and bold colors blend harmoniously with the park's lush setting. After, you'll have free time to enjoy lunch on your own in the historic center. En route back to our ship, we'll take a relaxing drive around Montjüic mountain, site of several 1992 Summer Olympics events, and the National Museum of Art of Catalonia.