MeRose

Yes we also booked directly with Celebrity - while on last year’s cruise.

We accepted the 150% offer too. Our reservation is still showing. If it is still there tomorrow, I guess I'll start packiing process... By now I'm usually packed, but we were expecting to get the cancellation notice. Maybe I'll wait until the 23rd.

Hi, We spent 2 extra days in Barcelona after Viking cruise. Time well spent. And I want to thank this board group for all the wonderful advice. We did schedule a 'Barcelona Day Tours' - it was a half day tour with a group of 10 and and the guide was excellent. The tour was called Barcelona Highlights. Price was $99 euros per person, as we selected the extra options Sagrada Familia inside tour with full audio guide, and the Park Guell entrance. There was a little over lap (Sagrada Familia exterior tour) with Viking's included tour (which was two days earlier) but we actually appreciated a different perspective from the different guides. So THANK YOU!

Hi, We are not going through Viking to do the pre and post cruise extensions. We've found that two days before on our own is a nice way to handle jet lag (more flexible schedule) and with both the pre and post extensions we mingle more with locals. I'm a bit skeptical of the airline reliability too, so arriving in the departure city early gives me more peace of mind. On our last cruise (to Australia and New Zealand with Viking), a couple had travel issues and arrived a day late. That wasn't so bad as they boarded the ship just fine (it was in Sydney for two days), but their checked luggage never caught up with them. They were without luggage for two weeks, and pretty bitter about it. You never know...

Thanks for the wonderful cruise blog, Ive' just discovered it in the nick of time. We leave Friday for Viking's Venice - Rome - Barcelona ocean B2B cruise on the Viking Star, staying 2 extra days in Venice (sounds like a great plan especially after your experience!) and in Barcelona. With the info in the blog I've gotten new thoughts about what we should do. We do love the on your own - days before and after Viking. As much as we appreciate Viking, it is nice to be master of your own schedule without motorcoaches and Viking lines. Take care - and cheers to future travels!