Peregrina651

I am answering a question with a question only because you are a Viking newbie. Have you received the final documents e-mail from Viking? It is usually sent two weeks prior to sailing and can go to the guests, the Travel Agent or both. Subject line will read: Important – Viking Final E-Document: GuestName 70907## If not, check your spam file before contacting your Travel Agent or Viking Rep to have it re-sent. If you have received the e-mail, check the booking summary at the top of page one to see if it includes a cabin number. Sometimes, this is all the notice you will get about your cabin assignment. . If it lists your Stateroom as GTY, then you could receive your assignment anytime now, up to and including at check-in. There is no predicting when your cabin will be assigned-- even my crystal ball refuses to hazard a prediction.

The Star class ships have no trouble going through the barriers, as long as the water is high enough and the wind permits. (At least one cruise scheduled for Greenwich this summer was diverted to Tilbury because of the weather. There were greeters and busses waiting in Greenwich for those who might not have gotten the heads up). Vela class ships are a different design, we know they are longer and wider and they may need deeper water, so we don't know if they will be able to go through the barriers. You are right. We weren't on the same cruise. They had already been and we were just packing to leave.

I posted some information about the barrier here: #801 , There are also pictures of a Star class ship going through the barrier, if you scroll down. Vela class is 101 feet on the beam (not quite 31m), while the channel spans measures 61m wide. Can't find the draft of the ship -- and that may be the deciding factor on whether Vela class ships can make it to Greenwich.

Just in case anyone missed it! I can't agree with you more -- not just for Chef's Table and not just for Viking.

Two thoughts in response. First, perhaps the question should be posed directly to Viking; it's their policy. Second thought, it deserves its own thread. It is a good question and deserves not to be hidden here.

I don't know that he knows from fuming.

Normally, I would agree with you. However, I have done a handful of sailings in DV6 cabins, the ones over the dining room (never the ones forward of the Atrium), and have never heard any noise coming from the dining room. They are my preferred cabins (except for 3058, 3060 and the corresponding odd numbered cabins). I have sailed in DV4, over the tenders, and they were noisier.

Excellent suggestion for anyone and everyone with dietary restrictions and allergies. Especially allergies, Viking would rather deal with all your restriction than with an allergic reaction. Note: the MVJ form does not have an "Other" option with a text box to fill in. I am an "other" and one of my to-do list items when I first board the ship is to make sure that my restrictions are added to my profile; from there it is smooth sailing. In the end, it is up to each of us to make sure that Viking has the information they need to keep us healthy. Note: Stating your dietary restrictions has to be done on each sailing because profiles are not saved from sailing to sailing -- and food issues can change over time. If you are dining in Manfredi's, you will be given a Manfredi's menu. If you are dining in CT, you will get no menu to fill out as there are no choices to be made. The chef will make the necessary adjustments. BTW, I love being able to make my choices in advance of dinner time, privately, without holding up the ordering process for the whole table.

In the end, it is up to the chef and you don't know for sure until you ask.

Yes. And for those with allergies as well. Most dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Considering that at least two of the courses would have to be altered, I would suggest talking with the chef once you board to discuss which of the menus available are the best for the kitchen to modify while still maintaining the spirit and intent of the venue. Avoid walking in cold and trying to get an all-vegetarian meal. The kitchen needs time to prepare in order to give you the best meal possible.

6. The DA went out of fashion years ago?

We add one more chore to the list. We need to have the head of the bed raised for medical reasons (vertigo and GERD) -- and each time we have to explain to the steward the best way to accomplish the task. Took us a few sailings to figure out the best way to do it -- fold a mattress pad the long way twice and place it under the mattress. Other methods made it too high. Next cruise, I've decided that I am e-mailing housekeeping in advance so that the stewards can do what needs to be done before they make up the bed for the new occupants.

Please! No sofa! We always rearrange the cabin to get the coffee table out of the middle of the floor. If they stick a sofa in the cabin where is the coffee table going to go to get it out of the middle of the floor? I'm very good at walking into it, besides which getting it out of the middle of the floor makes the cabin feel bigger. I think you are right about the new cabin measurements. All cabins, except ES and maybe OS, will have an additional two feet of depth (because if they did it any other way, the corridor would have to zig-zag). Let's hope that the additional square footage is interior space and not simply a bigger balcony. Side-by-side deck plans (ignore the comparative lengths of the ships as each image will be shrunk to fit the same width: Star Class Vela Class 6 DV cabins and 2 PS cabins have been added to Deck 4. Note that the lifts are in the same positions on each chart. No cabins have been added forward of the aft staircase and distance between the elevator shifts in unchanged. The extra length has all been added aft of the aft stairwell.

I expect the cabins will be the same width but deeper corridor to slider. I don't think they can add width to cabins and add as many cabins as they are planning.

I don't think there are any buses in the smaller towns. Residents get around by foot, by snowmobile and by boat.

Heads up: There are two videos available at this link. Scroll down to get the slightly more in-depth interview. Still there is nothing new to be learned in the interview. It is more about the cruise line's culture than its financials.

Bags have to be left unlocked and no sales tags on clothing because the bags go thru customs and are subject to inspection. Your bags go thru duty-free on the assumption that your clothing is "used." A tag still on the clothing is proof that it isn't. Also, tags may contain RFIDs which may mess up scanning equipment along the way. The same may be the reason that AirTags are forbidden; they may interfere with the processing equipment. If you ignore the restrictions and something goes wrong because you did, the company is not liable.

Whew!

I can't be the only person who does not like the drawers taking up the hanging space in closet space. We hang a lot of clothing and with the drawers I get just half a bar to work with (I'm too short to use the bar over the drawers). Can they put them in DV1, 2 & 3 cabins and leave the rest untouched?

We all have our stories! Alas, for a variety of reasons, it took us 3 tries to complete our cruise of the western Med. In 2016, we booked New Years in the Med, 13 nights, Barcelona to Barcelona (Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Sicily, Sardinia, Tunisia, Algeria, Spain). Two hours out of Barcelona, the ship suffered a systems failure that landed us back in Barcelona the next night. The cruise was canceled and we were invited to stay on board for the duration of our tour. We called it "our best worst cruise ever" -- free room and board in a 5 star ocean front resort, tours included daily. The following NYE, 2017, we booked a similar itinerary and I got sick missing the last 3 ports. In 2018, we tried again and completed the circle, booking Rome to Barcelona via Tunisia & Algeria less than a month before sailing. In 3 tries we never got to Tunisia and will be giving it another try in 2026.

Thank you for the review and thank you for "pretension;" I've been looking for the right word for years. I, too, struggle with "far exceeds my expectations." It says nothing about my expectations.

Isn't reverse osmosis a means of desalination? Don't they then have to treat the water with chlorine if it is used in a swimming pool? There is a list of prohibited items. https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/2019.08.26-Prohibited-Item-List.pdf

Contact Viking at tellus@vikingcruises.com and ask them.

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Viking ships are all almost identical, except for Vela and Vesta (first ships of the second class of ships that Viking will build). You can read about the ships on the Viking website. Multiple ships will be sailing this itinerary over the next few years and it really doesn't matter which ship you choose. More important will be to chose when you want to travel.

It is a LONG drive to Punta Tombo but so worth it.