oceancruiser20

Thank you for the helpful response, we will see if Cruise Critic decides to set one up.

Hoping Cruise Critic creates separate Viking Expedition Board sometime soon. Although the Expedition thread has been very helpful, as time goes on, it's starting to get difficult to read and stay on top of specific topics, and would like to be able to quickly discern between a topic on the destinations vs cabins vs dining vs excursions on the submarine ect. 

I had read that there had been some early technical issues with the submarines, has anyone been on a recent cruise where they are operational? Does Viking organize specific excursions, or is just posted each day when passengers can sign up to go out in them?

Also curious if this earlier article on Cruise Critic is still applicable:

"Each Viking Octantis submarine will carry six passengers and offer 270-degree views, thanks to revolving seats. What we really love is that using the submersible is free: Each guest will get at least one undersea voyage included in the expedition fare. This is a departure from what other cruise lines have been doing; other companies that offer submersibles charge a fee -- in some cases, a pretty steep one -- for submarine expeditions."

1 hour ago, SailorPaulH said:

Great news and thank you for posting! If I may ask - where did you see this? I looked in my MVJ account and I don't see it - please give me a pointer.

 

Now if they would just drop the daily tests and the pre-flight tests 🙂

This only came in email, and my guess won't be posted in the Health & Safety section until after April 1st so not to confuse people sailing prior to then.

But this is great news, glad is Viking is adapting with the times and balancing safety and practicality. The removal of the embarkation quarantine is probably the best news. Never made a lot of sense to begin with, and why Viking didn't just switch to rapid test for embarkation so people could go ahead and start their vacation. But this new policy is a good compromise.

It doesn't seemed to be mentioned in the passenger cruise contract either, so does that mean if we booked with the thought that Viking would cover arrangements in the event of a positive test, this is no longer actually the case? It's odd they wouldn't have a cut off date, like cruises booked before April 2022 you are fully covered ect.

From the wording posted above it seems Viking just merely acts as a travel agent /concierge to make arrangements, and not covering the expenses? The refunding I think refers to the prorated cost of the missed cruise time if you have to disembark.

I had assumed this as well. I know cruise lines like Celebrity Cruises covers all expenses until April 30, 2022, which is very clearly stated on their website. But I don't see any mention in Vikings policies now that you mention it. Maybe we are all suffering from Mandela Effect...

Seems the CDC has lowered their cruise travel warning to Level 2 moderate. Since this seems to have a lot of sway on the cruise industry, hopefully means more things can return to normal on Viking sooner than later(atleast for cruises operating in North America and the Caribbean) and they begin to take a more regional approach with policies.

CDC Level update:https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/covid-2/coronavirus-cruise-ship

Article from Cruise Radio:

"Less than a month after lowering the cruise travel health notice from a Level 4 to a Level 3, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has once again dropped its warning for cruise ships down a notch.

On Monday, March 14, the public health agency lowered cruise travel to a Level 2, which indicates that taking a cruise presents a “moderate” health risk. Previously, at Level 3, cruising was in the CDC’s “high” risk category.

With the notice being lowered from Level 4 to Level 3 last month, most cruise lines dropped their mask mandates almost entirely, many with the exception of select indoor venues such as the theater or kids’ clubs. As well, a number of lines that previously weren’t allowing unvaccinated kids onboard began allowing them.Cruise companies continue to have vaccination policies in place, however."

source:https://cruiseradio.net/cdc-lowers-cruise-ship-travel-warning-again/

Havethere been an updates if this was just a trail initiative due to the region it was cruising, or if other Viking ships are adopting a similar policy?

It definitely is an interesting concept. There was actually an article posted a few days ago that mentioned the challenges of having Tattoos onboard a cruise ship, copied some of it below:

"9. An Onboard Tattoo Shop

Who Tried It: Virgin Voyages

The Idea: It could be said that when Virgin Voyages first announced some of the features and entertainment that would be found on its ships, it was going for the shock factor (as far as cruise ships were concerned). One such feature that surprised probably everybody was a tattoo parlor, aptly called Squid Ink.

Why It Seemed Like a Good Idea: Before it launched its first ship, Virgin was very vocal about how it wanted to do cruising differently and shake up the industry. This was one of the ways they came up with to do that — no other cruise line has a tattoo shop onboard.

It really is a unique and novel idea, and a tattoo would, in theory, make for a cute (and permanent) reminder of your vacation.

Why It Didn’t Work: When thinking logically, tattoo shops are not on cruise ships for a good reason. During the healing process after getting a tattoo, the spot needs special care; it doesn’t just instantaneously heal itself. So mix a brand-new tattoo with days of exploring islands, swimming in the pool and sea, and lots of sun exposure, and it doesn’t really make sense to get one on this type of vacation."

source: https://cruiseradio.net/cruise-ship-fails-concepts-did-not-catch-on/

2 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

That picture sort of looks like it was taken w a wide angle lens which distorts your perspective.  Am I correct?

 

DON

Yes you're correct,  that is just a screen shot from the Viking Cruises 360 tour. That's why I was wondering if anyone had seen any additional photos or have been onboard to give a more accurate perspective of the size of the pool itself.

Ha I like your strategy. yes I understand your point, meant more swimming from one end to the other, not true laps. Here is seems to be the same width of the jacuzzis, so you if you are just wading around you are almost touching each side of the pool simultaneously, not a lot of space.

The longest potential "lap" pool I have seen so far is probably on Celebrity Edge class.

Looking at the 360 tour of the new Viking Octantis and beautiful domed aft pool/bar area, just wondering the size of the pool itself? It's hard to tell with the perspective of the 360 tour view, but looks quite narrow, as if only one person could be swimming laps at a time(not much passing space?). Anyone seen any additional photos of the pool, or been onboard and know if it is actually as small as it appears in photos? 

Does anyone have any more information about the maiden arrival and christening in New York City on April 18th? I'm assuming it is at the Manhattan Cruise terminal, which is one of the easier piers to view the ships, wasn't sure if Viking typically did anything special? (even if viewed from a distance) I know the godmother is Liv Arnesen and the ship is coming from the Caribbean and then immediately departing that day for Toronto for it's Great Lakes season. I'm surprised Viking didn't schedule a few days docked in New York for more publicity, but i guess that would have prevented having a continuous grand voyage for passengers from Antarctica to Toronto.

Would you be able to repost the images?

Maybe Viking is shifting to more regional policies with their covid protocols. Since the rest of the cruise ships in the Caribbean have already revised their policies, perhaps Viking is finally too, and will actually start to follow their stated: "specific protocols and procedures may evolve over time to adapt to various conditions or travel regulations in the destinations in which we operate."

I guess the question is, if hypothetically Viking revised their protocols tomorrow, and aligned with the rest of the cruise industry, would those that are very much for the current policies, would they cancel or forgo booking a Viking cruise, or would they still go?

I am sure Viking is going to have to find a way to balance their protocols with gaining revenue and attracting passengers who want to continue cruising with them, but find the protocols that were sensible last year, now somewhat outdated. As mentioned by cruisers on this board, many are holding off until some protocols are revised.

At the end of the day, Viking is intended to be a premium vacation experience.  While it is important to maintain safe cruising, that fact that other premium cruise lines have less restrictions in place and have still maintained low case numbers, it is starting to make Viking a less attractive cruise experience. If people are paying a lot of money, and had a choice of going on a ship where you embark and then have to  be quarantined in their cabin for 5 hours, and then having to wake up every morning at 8am on their vacation to provide a salvia sample, vs other lines that you can just embark with prior testing and start enjoying your cruise experience while still being diligent, I think most will go with the later, especially with most of the world reopening.