dd57

I was on the Viking extension train ride; I have no idea what class that was. The seats reminded me of domestic airline coach seats in that they were basic and not very cushy. There was lots of leg room and they were wider than coach seats. They were dirty, crumbs down in the crack between the back and the seat. There wasn't a window by every seat. We weren't uncomfortable, but I expected more like Amtrak long distance seats and less like airline seats.

I have a pair of black waterproof hiking shoes that I take on potentially rainy cruises. The look good enough to wear to dinner (but then I am a casual dresser) when I am doing carry-on only trips. They were very useful in Iceland where it rained a lot. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B083Z6RXY4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I have been on 3 Alaska cruises and have been lucky enough to never have encountered rain. But for our 4th cruise this summer, I'm bringing these shoes just in case. Being on a long excursion with wet feet is miserable.

My husband caught COVID early on our cruise last August. There wasn't a separate cabin for me to go to, so I had to sleep next to him for 6 nights. I wore a N95 mask whenever I was in the cabin, including all night, and never caught it from him. I was tested daily. I think he caught it on the bus to the ship when he decided he was tired of wearing his mask after the long flight. I was free to roam on the ship and go on excursions, as long as I wore a mask. in public spaces and on the bus. It was sad not being able to share those experiences with him.

On our Majestic Iceland trip I took my waterproof rain jacket with a hood with a stiffish brim. The brim kept the rain off my glasses. I wish I had taken a ball cap as the stiff bill of the cap would have kept the hood from sliding down in front of me due to the wind. Because it was a hood instead of hat, it kept the rain off of my neck in the wind. I used to have a Tilley hat when I used to sail, but to me a hood is more convenient on tours - easily slipped off inside, no extra things to hold, and more all over protection. We had a lot more wind in Iceland than in Norway; a rain hat might have worked in Norway.

My waterproof jacket with hood with a small stiff bill was a lifesaver. It would have been even better with a ball cap underneath. I didn't take waterproof pants, instead using quick dry technical/hiking pants with silk long johns - things I have more use for besides this trip. Silk dries faster than wool. I had a similar rain cover for my DSLR, but got tired of wrestling with it. For simple landscapes I used my waterproof Pixel 5 shooting in RAW. Got some excellent shots. The new cell phones can be an excellent backup.

In case you want another option in Skagway -we did this excursion a few years ago: https://alaskashoretours.com/excursions/skagway/chilkoot-trail-hike-float/ It was a lot of fun. During the hike portion you walk on the beginning of the trail that all the gold rush participants took. You can just imaging them carrying heavy loads through the woods. The guide talked about the gold rush during the hike. We saw bald eagles during the raft float down the river.

I have always either reserved our excursions in advance or we did our own thing with public transportation, so I don't really know if you can get get an excursion at the dock. But if you are at a port on a busy day with 3 or 4 behemoth ships in town, I would bet that all the tours are already booked. There isn't a very flexible supply of tour options.

We took this excursion a few years ago: https://alaskashoretours.com/excursions/skagway/chilkoot-trail-hike-float/ They take you a few miles out of town to the trailhead. The guide talked about the gold rush as well as the flora and fauna along the way. We hiked for a mile or so then got in rafts and floated back down the river. It was a lot of fun. The hike itself was pretty. If you can figure out how to get to the trailhead, that might be an option.

I was on a similar cruise last August. On some days the only time it wasn't raining in Iceland was when we were on a bus. Get off the bus, it starts raining. Get back on the bus, it clears up. Drive to the next spot on the tour, passing gorgeous scenery, taking marginal photos thru the windows. Get off the bus, it starts raining again. We stopped at Godafoss and rain stopped, but there was significant mist. Same at the geothermal areas. I had much better luck in Norway. So take whatever you need to use your cameras in the rain and mist. You might luck out, but better to be prepared.

If you go to the Spanish Riding School website, they have a schedule of events held in Vienna all year round including in the summer. The Viking excursion was the Behind the Scenes Guided Tour. But if you get tickets for the Training sessions, you get to see the horses in action. The sessions are not every day. You can buy tickets on their website.

When we went on the Budapest thermal bath excursion, it was not to Szechenyi, like you say.

We did the Vienna riding school tour - and discovered after we got there that they were not practicing that week. The tour showed us the tack rooms and talked a lot about training, etc, and we saw the horses being exercised walking around in a ring, but I was bummed that we didn't get to see them in action. You evidently can research on their website to learn whether - and what time of day - they are practicing to decide whether or not the excursion is worth it to you. We were there in June.

I believe that they are only clarifying what was true before; excursions have to be cancelled 2 days before. Now they are warning before the cruise.

If you do decide to try Viking again, I recommend picking the walking tour ones. The included walking tours that I took in Iceland and Norway were very informative. In Seydisfjordur, Iceland, which is a tiny town, the tour was led by a local who grew up there. She explained the history of the town, the extreme difficulties in building there, what life is like now, etc. In Alesund, Norway, the tour leader was a history teacher. Yes, the walking pace of both was slow, but that gave us time to look around and take pictures in very scenic towns. I would rather take it easy than be on a death march, as we experienced in Rouen.

Yeah I was really surprised when I opened the bottle and took a big swig expecting still water. This was on the Mars last August. I made sure to check after that experience.

Sparkling water and sodas are free during meal times at dining venues or from room service. If you are in a DV cabin or above your in-room fridge is restocked daily. The crew was even handing out sparkling water as we left for excursions.

I second the comment about cold in Norway and onboard. We did Iceland/Norway last August. I had to buy a wool sweater to wear on the ship and some of the excursions, even in Norway. I wish I had just brought one, although it is a nice souvenir.

Ketchikan has tours to Misty Fjords park either by air or by sea. Awesome high cliffs and narrow waterways. One cruise we took an excursion to paddle canoes on a nearby lake. There we saw lots of wildlife. This was many years ago, so I don't know if that kind of excursion is still available.

Yeah, I haven't noticed anything either. On the other hand the Horizon brand shelf stable milk tastes normal to me.

We went in 2019. What do you want to know?

In 2019 we took the Viking "Whale Watching and Mendenhall Glacier Photo Safari" excursion in Juneau. The excursion was with Gastineau Guides and was awesome. There was at least one person on the excursion who wasn't a photographer, but wanted the experience. Others used their cellphones, iPads, and "real" cameras. The guide did discuss photography and camera settings.

In the US it is called shelf stable milk. For example the milk boxes you can put in kid's lunch boxes that don't need refrigeration. Very common in Europe.

It was 50 to 60 euros. I vaguely remember that it varied by where in Paris you are going. Our hotel was near the Eiffel tower. I bet googling it might tell you the current rate.

Our taxi driver wanted cash for the fixed rate. Luckily we had enough euros. It surprised us after reading how cashless Paris is. Other taxis we took within Paris accepted our credit card.

According to the blogs, they went to Rinca island, not Komodo island. They saw lots of dragons.