MaxFan

10 hours ago, Twitchly said:

We took the British Isles cruise in September 2022 and missed a couple of ports due to rough seas (Ullapool and the Shetlands). Looking back through many reviews of this cruise, it’s not unusual to miss a port or two. Perhaps in part because tender ports are trickier and require calmer seas? That said, we didn’t have to hold onto rails while walking around the ship.

Take a look at past reviews of cruises that interest you. It’s a great way to see patterns.

Thanks!

10 hours ago, mbiggers said:

Currently onboard the Venus. We were supposed to have two sea days between Amsterdam and Narvik. Yesterday we had 20’ waves and 40mph winds. Last night things got worse. You could not stand without holding onto something. The Captain announced this morning that waves had been over 35’ and he had been forced to greatly reduce speed for safety. We were heading straight into the waves which caused loud bangs and jerking- like trying to sleep on a trampoline while someone was jumping! Due to the slow speed he was canceling the Narvik call and heading up to Tromso. The good news is that things have calmed down to moderate seas this afternoon. Our previous crossing from Tilbury to Stavanger was also rough (also in January).

Wow, scary! I'm glad I was not on that ship! Good to know that things settled down a little, and that your other rough crossing was in January. Thanks!

4 hours ago, Lady Meer said:

We often cruise in British waters including the English Channel, the only port we have missed is Guernsey, Channel Islands. This is a tender port and the pilot was unable to board due to a strong wind but the sea wasn’t ‘rough’.

That's good to hear. Thank you!

2 hours ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I can assure you the English Channel is not always rough, as I recall 1 transit when it was like a millpond. Mind you, I have sailed those waters more times than I care to remember.

 

Unfortunately weather is unpredictable, at any time of the year. When working on ships sailing the same itinerary week after week, you quickly realised the weather and seas are rarely the same 2 weeks in a row.

 

When ships are in beam seas, the stabilisers assist in reducing the rolling, but in head or following seas they do nothing to prevent the vessel pitching. So the ship's course in relation to the seas also has an impact on movement.

 

You also didn't mention which month you are cruising, as that can also make a difference.

Hi. If we're going this year, it would be July or August (there is very little still available). That's good to know that at least once the channel was still! I don't know about beam seas or following seas, so I'll have to look that up. Thank you for the response!

Hello, my husband and I are looking at the British Isles cruise and are wondering what the stretch between Bergen and the Shetland Islands and travel around the English Channel is like. What I’m wondering is what that stretch of sailing is like. Is it rough seas? Does the ship usually rock due to the waves and wind rocking the boat? Do you need to hold on to the handrails and walls everyday? How likely is that route to be smooth or to have a port skipped due to weather? Is traveling during summer months more likely to have noticeably calmer seas? And any thoughts on conditions around the English Channel? 

We recently traveled on the Panama Canal Passage cruise from the Canal to Ft. Lauderdale. We were surprised at the amount of rocking that took place, which was almost every day, and we missed our final port at Cozumel, ending up with three sailing days in a row. So we want to have a better or more realistic idea of what sailing on the British Isles cruise is like.

Thank you!

13 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

What they call a Mai Tai isn't a Mai Tai. Three of the listed ingredients - apricot brandy, amaretto, pineapple juice - have no business being within ten miles of a Mai Tai.

Just reading these ingredients now makes me feel about as sick as when I was drinking them! I'm so glad you pointed that out. After the Viking mai tai abomination, it's made me afraid to try one anywhere else. Which is too bad because I've gotten good ones before. Now I live in fear. 😬

On 10/9/2023 at 2:59 PM, duquephart said:

Watch out for bogus cocktails - see "Mai Tai."

OMG did you get a bad mai tai on Viking? I did! From the Sky last year. It was horrible and made me wonder if I really knew what a mai tai was. I couldn't even drink it, so a waste of money, too.

3 hours ago, Brad1185 said:

Yes just finished our first Oceania cruise 15 nights Montrèal to Miami. Overall very good with high quality food and food choices. We really like the healthier vast O food offerings that Viking does not offer. 
 

New ship the Vista that came out in May 2023. 
 

Overall if we had to choose between O or Viking we would still go with Viking. If there was a great itinerary with O we would not hesitate. 
 

O and Viking are so close in our opinion. 
 

Viking seems better organized especially with the excursions. We prefer Vikings decor

over O. 
 

We like the smaller Viking 930 something passengers to the Vista 1,200 passengers. 
 

We love the heated bathroom floor on Viking. 
We loved the included laundry service on O. 

We are so looking forward to our upcoming Viking “Into the midnight sun” cruise and the Viking Antarctica cruise. 
 

 

We would like fewer passengers, too.

One thing I really appreciated about Viking's excursions was that the Viking staff all wore red shirts! And the little paddles were red. It stood out among the crowds and it was a relief to be somewhere and then see red!

On 10/21/2023 at 5:01 PM, Brad1185 said:

To us the closest competitor to Viking Ocean is Oceania. So right now Oceania would be our second choice. 

Have you traveled on Oceania yet? Was the overall experience good?

We've thought about trying Oceania. They have a nice Baltic itinerary that includes Finland, Estonia, and Lithuania, although sadly not Latvia. Ends up in Dublin, which is cool. We really wish Viking had a good Baltic Sea itinerary.

Thank you all so much. Each reply has added to our decision. All of you have been so helpful!

13 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

I personally wouldn’t chance it.  You will have long lines in customs and these days long lines at FLL.  Having done thi multiple times, I see why Viking says 11 am.

then you also have the ship arrival issue. The Mars was late arriving today from the Panama cruise.  Noon instead of 6 am.  So be prepared!

I really appreciate the info, esp that the Mars was late! I guess I better look for flights later than 9:45.

27 minutes ago, miami mama said:

The cruise terminal and the airport are very close to one another. If you take a cab from the port to the terminal you should not have any problems. However, that is totally dependent upon the ship docking at 6:00 am and having clearance for people to leave the ship at that time. 

Yes, the proximity is tempting. You're right about the timing, though.

We are scheduled to sail the Classic Panama Canal Passage this December, which ends in Ft. Lauderdale. The ship is scheduled to arrive at 6 am. We are making our own flight reservations. Viking is saying not to schedule a flight out of Ft. Lauderdale before 11 am. They said 11 am is the earliest time that we could take a flight. On our last cruise, Viking had us at the airport in Venice 5 hours early! It was a very long wait. The best flight for us is a non-stop that leaves Ft. Lauderdale at 9:45 am; is it reasonable to expect that Viking would have us at the airport in plenty of time for a domestic flight that leaves earlier than 11? Thank you. 

8 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

The cave tubing in Belize 

Hi there, did you use the Viking excursion or did you pay for a private?

2 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

I did this on a land excursion years ago and it was really fun 

Which excursion was it?

2 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

MaxFan - I hate to be the bearer of bad news for you, but if you are not into caves and dark spaces, this will not be the excursion for you.

For us we really enjoyed it, it wasn't scary, we used headlamps and it was dark no sunlight.  That is what caves are.  It felt very safe.

Here's a shot I took while on the tube.

 

Also, were you sitting in a chair-like tube with your legs out of the water, or were your legs hanging down in the water (like an inner tube)? I did show my husband this picture and he's really interested now. Thank you for all the answers!

1 hour ago, CCWineLover said:

MaxFan - I hate to be the bearer of bad news for you, but if you are not into caves and dark spaces, this will not be the excursion for you.

For us we really enjoyed it, it wasn't scary, we used headlamps and it was dark no sunlight.  That is what caves are.  It felt very safe.

Here's a shot I took while on the tube.

 

Oh my gosh! Thank you for sharing that! It looks freaky for me, but my husband will probably want to do this even more after he sees this pic. 😀

Is that the Exhilarating Cave Tubing Experience (TM 😀) (I mean "trade mark")? I'm a little scared of caves and confined, dark spaces. Was it like that? Was it a bit scary? Was it dark or was there sunlight? Did it seem safe?

Thank you both!

Thank you! Sounds lovely. It seemed like a reputable tour operator? We've always done the Viking ones (so far).

Hello, my husband and I are taking the Classic Panama Canal Passage cruise in December. 

I was wondering if anyone has any particular shore excursions at any of the ports along the Panama City-Ft. Lauderdale that you've taken or heard were good. There are so many to choose from! There are two involving Gatun Lake in Colon and they both sound nice. We're also wondering about some of the snorkeling ones, like Belize or Cozumel. Anything in Roatan or San Jose. Just wondering if anyone has any insight or experience with any of them. Thank you!