Peregrina651

To further explain, Viking has a couple of ships that spend part or all of the season sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul and back again. The trip is broken down into four 7-night segments: Barcelona to Rome, Rome to Venice, Venice to Athens and Athens to Istanbul. Each of those 7 night segments is a named itinerary. However, enough people want longer cruises that Viking also builds longer itineraries from the same 7-night segments and gives them distinct names. (7nights is the same as 8 days). In other words, Viking builds a series of Back-to-Back cruises and gives them each a distinct names and they all sail on the same ship. You will be on the ship with folks who are sailing for 4 weeks or 3 weeks or 2 weeks or just the single week that you booked. Unfortunately this can cause multiple, overlapping roll calls that are all legitimate but definitely confusing.

Darn good question, Jerry! I know that we are dependent on tenders in Greenwich but are we assigned precise times for disembarkation even if we are not using Viking transfers? I know this is a special circumstance and usually those with independent transfers are free to leave whenever they are ready to depart.

Even if you start a roll call for just the Venice to Athens segment that you are on you'll want to follow all of the roll calls that cover your dates because 1) those participating will be on the ship at the same time as you are and 2) because you never know what you will learn where.

Alas, the word "guaranteed" currently does not appear in the description. I noticed when I went looking for something the other day. I've snipped a bit from the website description of the Stateroom Features for PV and DV (because they line up so nicely). Here's the link to where I snipped it from: https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/ships/viking-star.html. I also don't know that they mean by "priority" reservations in their description or if priority implies "guarantee."

Okay, what we really need is a "campfire" singalong on the pool deck!

Yes, and on the gangway as you leave the ship -- which is where I leave my wet umbrella when I return to the ship so I don't have to deal with a wet umbrella in my dry cabin

Welcome to Cruise Critic and to Viking -- Let me give you a quick orientation to CC. Right now you are posting in the Viking Forum. This is the place to ask questions about your itinerary and about Viking in general. There is also a Ports of Call forum that is organized around the ports and therefore has an even bigger audience; among other things it is good place to ask about a transfer company in Manaus (bigger audience, more chance of finding someone who has been there). Then there are the Roll Calls. They are member started and member driven and they are the place to meet and chat with folks who will be sailing with you. There is already a roll call for your sailing. BTW, you are on the Viking Sea not Star. A couple of people are already chatting there. Viking Sea--January 19, 2024 Amazon and Caribbean FOR VIKING NEWBIES: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2416372-tips-for-new-viking-ocean-cruisers/page/45/ Start with post #1115. Anything earlier is stale information and will just confuse things. Keep reading until things start repeating. Take notes; there will be a quiz. TRANSFERS: If you have booked your own air and if you are departing from the ship to a flight, Viking normally will sell you transfers to the airport.

Dublin HopOnHopOff should have a website that will answer all of these questions and will include maps as well.

The place to find folks who are sailing with you is in the Roll Call section of these boards. Here is a link to the Viking Sky roll calls: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/786-viking-sky-roll-calls/ Viking Sky will be sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul in a journey that is subdivided into 4 segments. Your Venice to Istanbul cruise is made up of the last two segments. So far, there is only one roll call and it covers all four segments (which means that there should be folks there who will be sailing with you). If you wish, you may start a roll for just your two segments, Ancient Adriatic Treasures. At the same time, you should continue to watch our for any other roll calls that coincide with your onboard dates (i.e, Rome to Athens, Rome to Istanbul, Athens to Istanbul) since those roll calls will also be frequented by folks who will be sailing with you. 29 September 2023 - 27 October 2023 MEDITERRANEANS ICONIC SHORES VIKING SKY

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Please don't let the skewed reporting get to you. The dissatisfied tend to be more more outspoken so it is not surprising that you are seeing more complaints than raves -- but also it creates a distorted view of the situation. If you are worried, I suggest contacting your ship a few weeks before your arrival to request a mattress topper for your cabin. The ship's email will be on the cruise docs sent to you before you sail or you can contact Viking to get it. Be sure to include your booking number and explain the reason behind the request. Make sure that you get a confirmation from the ship, else contact them again.

Especially since the shut down and ensuing supply chain issues, there is always some sort of artificial sweetener but not always the same varieties and not always pink and blue and yellow bags -- and sometimes it can be none of the three. The sort may also vary from venue to venue. If you only use the one variety, then I suggest bringing your own to insure that you always have what you want when you want it.

That speaks to my thought that the royalty cost of the music helps drive the choice of the music on board ships. I also think that the choice of the music speaks to the demographic that Viking markets to -- old folks who can more easily swing 2+ week vacations. LOL. You mean the RedSox anthem.

Viking does bring on local talent when they can -- flamenco in Barcelona, opera in Rome for example --but mostly it is when they are overnighting in a port (so the talent can drive home after the show and not have to be flown home).

Bummer, SF! There is nothing more disappointing that to have our hard-made choices ruined by a lousy guide. You just need to get back to Naples so you can see Pompeii. Still, there are lots of reasons that go into choosing one destination over another and for sure Herculaneum isn't for everyone -- but OP asked where we went. For one, it isn't handicapped accessible and it is hard on the knees. We had done Ostia (very spread out) just a few days before so I decided that Herculaneum (small and compact) would show us something different in terms of town layout and features but still show us the damage done by the volcano and that it would also give us time to see some of Naples in the afternoon (which going to Pompeii would not have allowed).

Naples -- Viking's Herculaneum tour instead of Pompeii. It is smaller and closer to the ship but equally as well preserved as Pompeii. Another time in Naples with Viking we had a chance to go to the National Archeology Museum. It is a quick cab ride from the ship. Except for an early back on board time, we could have spent the entire day in the Museum.

Viking usually talks about future plans in its press releases about the next ship to join the fleet. They took delivery of Saturn last week. While the press release mentioned future river ships, there was no mention of future ocean vessels. However, I expect that our resident merchant marines will do a little digging and come up with something a bit more definitive. BTW, anyone can read the Viking press releases. There is a link to the Media Center in the footer of every page on the website.

Great idea. They kind of did that with the Rat Pack Show (Sinatra, Martin, Davis, Jr.) but that I haven't seen that show on the playbill in years.

I was also going to send you to your Viking invoice for the answer. I've snipped a picture of what it looks like on the page to make it easier to find. SBC is a type of voucher. The legend below will tell you how each type may be used.

Since Viking has to pay royalties to play these songs, it would not surprise me to learn that the groups that no longer exist are cheaper shows to mount.

Too late. He already colored in it.

No, no, NO!

Relax! There is very little that you can't buy there if you absolutely must. Just ask all those poor folks whose luggage has been mislaid by the airlines. 🥴

Sweeet! Have a great trip! And come back and tell us about it.

Forget it! We are too late. It's a done deal. Check it out: Now as for your other question about cancelled ports, the answer is that every port is subject to cancellation for one reason or another and there is no way to predict it.