RBachmann

Last year we cruised from San Juan Puerto Rico up the Amazon to Manaus. I initially went with Viking Air because they had a great deal on airfare. Didn’t like the flights they gave me so switched to AirPlus to choose other flights but they couldn’t make it work with their contracts so they refunded my AirPlus fee and I booked my own flights. After I had booked them, Viking ended up chartering their own flight from Manaus to Miami for a pretty big group leaving the ship that day.

I hadn’t had a Grimbergen since we lived in Europe and was delighted to see them unloading cases of it at the pool bar on my last cruise! It was even better than I remembered.

Yes

I posted my question there thanks

She gets around really well and had a great time. We would love to do a Nile cruise, but unsure as to how accessible the excursions would be for her.

Speaking for Viking Ocean. They provide them on DV cabins and are quite small. They hide them inside the desk vanity. Better than nothing but I recommend you bring better ones.

Sure. Here’s us up on the observation deck at Isles du Salut.

I can’t confirm that the guest laundry actually closed or when it reopened. I packed enough clothes for more than half the trip, and did laundry on the second sea day, more than a day prior to the published closure, so I had plenty of clean clothes to finish the trip.

I did the trip with my 85 year old mom. She has trouble with her knees so walking long distances, uneven surfaces and big steps were hard but she was able to do it. We brought a folding transport chair which worked well in several places.

These are the shuttle boats that took us to the Manaus pier and a pic of the carryons being sniffed

Getting onto the shuttle boat to travel from the ship to the pier in Manaus was awkward for folks with luggage - the gangway was narrow, slippery and steep, and there was a big step down onto the shuttle boat. Once you get to the pier at Manaus, you have to pass your luggage forward and they line them all up on the pier to let the drug dogs sniff them while the passengers remain on the boat. if you are only doing carryon for luggage, I hope they are small and manageable or you may find this part of the trip challenging.

I was on the front end of that cruise (San Juan to Manaus). They asked us to conserve water while we were on the Amazon because their desalinator had to be turned off while in the muddy river. Based on that, I would expect the request to be careful with water to continue until the ship is back out in the ocean. Other than the guest laundry being turned off, I didn't notice any change during this time - the water pressure was the same, servers still delivered water vigorously. The fantail pool and hot tub were drained because they attract bugs, but the main pool, hot but and spa were all unchanged. I don't know if they were able to take on any fresh water at any of the ports on the Amazon, but I doubt it - that would have required replenishment by a boat alongside and we didn't see anything like that happening. Water may get tighter on the trip back down the Amazon.

For me, the planning and learning about all aspects of the upcoming trip are almost as much fun as the trip itself, and allows me to enjoy a 2 week trip for many months beforehand.

The Manaus airport was unremarkable - not in the least bit scary. We were fortunate that the GOL flight flew to Miami on our debarkation day but I knew there weren’t many choices before I booked the cruise because I had looked at Google Flights so was not surprised. Viking arranged for a charter flight out of Manaus but that didn’t happen until after I pulled the trigger on the GOL flight. In retrospect I’m glad it worked out that way there were some issues with the charter flight communications and it got into Miami so late that it would have required an overnight there before continuing on. The GOL flight itself was better than many domestic US flights I’ve taken recently. It departed and arrived earlier than scheduled, was a brand new 737 Max 8 and they fed us a pretty good lunch and a snack. Their website did not work for me at all and their code share with AA didn’t do anything for the GOL flight. I booked and paid for it on the AA website but it had its own separate confirmation number. The baggage issues at Manaus were Vikings fault. The bag drop problem after clearing customs in Miami would have been nice to know about.

I linked my credit card to my reservation for use on board pretty far in advance but they didn’t seem to care at check in they wanted to scan the card anyway.

Just got off the Sea. Spa treatments require a reservation. Access to the spa facilities was wide open no reservations required or even a way to make them.

We sailed the Mediterranean from Istanbul to Athens and really only felt motion in the Sea of Marmara for one evening the rest was quite calm.

I’m not sure how you missed seeing that every excursion requires a reservation. Are you using My Viking Journey? Did you read about the available excursions and see that every one of them has the names in your cabin and a window to choose a time for your reservation? Did you book at the last minute and not have time to research them? It’s been a while since we took our first a Viking River cruise but I’m pretty sure we had to do the same thing there and make a reservation for whatever excursion we wanted, even the included ones, so they had a head count and room for everyone. Don’t despair - they often add more spots for the included ones if they sell out. Keep checking MVJ and go to the excursion desk as soon as you board the ship and see what they can do for you. Same with dining. Good luck!

I had a similar problem trying to book Manfredi’s within minutes of the reservation opening and still getting the not available message. I called and talked to an agent after trying for several days and we told the problem was lack of tables for 2. When I offered to share a table with another party (they did not ask), they then were able to make a reservation for us.

We cruised from Istanbul in May and chose the 2 day precruise extension in Istanbul. A very large number of folks on our cruise who did the precruise extension in Cappadocia came back to the ship and were positive for COVID a day or two later, and spent the rest of the cruise isolating in their cabins. Don't know if there was anything unique about that excursion that allowed the infection to spread so widely, but might be a good idea to wear masks and be more cautious if doing that excursion.

Here's one good only for the rest of today Offer RVT22: Offer valid on bookings made from Oct 28 to Oct 31, 2022. Cruise from $2,599 per person based on select Jul & Aug 2023 departures of Romantic Danube; Danube Waltz in category F; cruise from $3,999 per person based on select Nov 2023 departures of Grand European Tour in category F; cruise from $2,599 per person based on select Jul & Aug 2023 departures of Rhine Getaway in category F; subject to availability, other categories may be higher. Call for details. 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 Oct 31, 2022; pay in full by Nov 30, 2022. Offer expires Oct 31, 2022.

Earlier this year I went on the Ancient Mediterranean Treasures itinerary with my 85 year old mother who can walk ok for 30 min or so and can do steps but was concerned about getting tired. We brought a lightweight folding “transport chair” on the trip which she sat in and I pushed when she got tired, she leaned on it while pushing it empty or I folded and carried it up steps. Don’t rely on someone else to push it but the bus drivers and tour guides accommodated it just fine.

Yes you can request Viking transfers to and from the ship $49 per person each way.

We cruised the Ancient Mediterranean Treasures itinerary in May and added the precruise Istanbul extension, so we were in Istanbul a bit over 72 hours. I applied for, paid for and printed the Turkish eVisa for each of us (party of 4) before we departed the US. No-one ever asked for it, but maybe Turkish passport control got the information electronically? I felt better having followed the rules but have to wonder if it was $$ wasted.