schaitberger

3 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

5089 and 5091 are sliding doors.  Known for a fact.

Thank you!

On 2/18/2019 at 6:19 PM, moatenote said:

We just placed a deposit on the Mediterranean Odyssey cruise for September 9-20, 2020.  Viking cruises are filling up faster and faster!  We booked PV1 cabin 6015, because it seemed the best choice of the limited possibilities.  We've stayed on deck 5 for our previous 3 cruises and liked the location a lot.  I was leery of Deck 6 because of the possibility of overhead noise being under deck 7 and the various dining places.  6015 is directly under the Owner's Suite and seemed like it might be the quietest choice on deck 6.  I think it will be interesting to be one deck higher than we have been and this one was not listed in the Cabin Guide as a "do not choose this cabin."  Would appreciate any information from anyone who has cruised in this cabin regarding noise.  Thanks!

We are looking to book 6015 on the Viking Venus. Can you tell me was it reasonably quiet under the Owners Suite and would you book it again? Many thanks!

Very helpful! Thank you again!

5 minutes ago, JeriGail said:

5091 has the separate door.

Did you find that bothersome or was it okay in your opinion. Thank you

2 minutes ago, JeriGail said:

5091 has the separate door.

Thank you!

We are in Penthouse Veranda Cabin 5091 on an upcoming Viking Venus Cruise. As all Viking Ocean ships are laid out the same, does anyone know if this cabin has sliding glass doors or the configuration where there is a fixed glass window with a separate door to the Veranda. Many Thanks!

On 11/30/2018 at 11:10 PM, vnb2003 said:

We heard our neighbors TV both times we cruised on Star. First time was the worst because our neighbors didn’t hear well. Plus it seemed the TV was always on. We actually had to turn up volume to hear better our TV. That was on deck 6 in cabin 6013. The second time was better (deck 5 cabin 5091) but we still heard it. I do hear very well and actually use ear plugs at night. But honestly we had such a good time and were so relaxed that it didn’t bother us 🙂

We are in 5091 upcoming. Can you tell me if the cabin had sliding glass doors or one of the ones with a fixed glass panel and a separate door. Thanks

Viking does not allow TA's to discount anymore I believe, but they can offer you onboard credit. Our agency is giving us $500pp ($1,000) total to use onboard for anything from tips, extra excursions, laundry service and drinks.

31 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The longer the cruise, the more opportunities there will be for extra specialty reservations, particularly if you're flexible about day/time/sharing. Daily reservations can now be made at a dedicated desk on same deck as shops on both O and R ships.

Dinner can take up to two hours. So, if you're an evening trivia player, plan on eating at 6:30pm

 

we often mix ship and private excursions. If you're on a long cruise and can't drink the Prestige package (upgrade at $20/person over the O Life booze perk) break even point on a daily average, go for the O Life excursions perk and do the math to select the most expensive of the allowable ones. Note that if you pre-buy added tours, the O Life ones will count towards the minimum required for YWYW 25% discount.

 

FWIW: all the questions you're asking have been answered a zillion times on CC's Oceania threads. You may want to take some time and peruse the forums.

Thanks! Will do.

Thanks for the info. We did not take O'life. We will be in a Vista Suite on the Oceania Regatta. First time on Oceania as we have been downsizing ships over the years mostly on Viking Ocean and Viking River. Looking forward to the Regatta. We will probably also book a mixture of ship excursions and independent.

1 minute ago, ORV said:

It depends on various things on getting extra reservations. Which ship are you on? How long is the cruise? Where is the cruise? What category of room are you in? Do you have a butler? Do you have any loyalty status with Oceania? 

 

Concerning Shore excursions. Are you taking the Olife perk? Have you decided which one? If you take the excursions for your perk then you need to try to maximize which ones you take. Generally you are able to take the ones up to $199. Picking ones as close to that price point will get you the most bang for your buck. Of course one has to keep in mind which of the tours appeals to them. There are no easy answers, you have to consider what you want to do cruise by cruise. Oceania also offers Exclusive tours with fewer participants for more money. Many times they are the same tours as the ones $199 or less. Just fewer on the bus. 

 

I've always taken a combination of my own tours and ship's tours. 

29 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

One more thing - I asked my travel agent for a price with flights and oLife, a price without flights but with oLife and a price without flights or oLife. (The price will tell you how much rebate you get if you refuse included flights.) Also think about whether or not you want to arrive early at your embarkation city or stay on afterwards. You can ask for a deviation (other times, airlines, dates) but at a cost. You need to factor that in.

Thank you!

29 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

One more thing - I asked my travel agent for a price with flights and oLife, a price without flights but with oLife and a price without flights or oLife. (The price will tell you how much rebate you get if you refuse included flights.) Also think about whether or not you want to arrive early at your embarkation city or stay on afterwards. You can ask for a deviation (other times, airlines, dates) but at a cost. You need to factor that in.

Thank you!

Thank you!

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The longer the cruise, the more opportunities there will be for extra specialty reservations, particularly if you're flexible about day/time/sharing. Daily reservations can now be made at a dedicated desk on same deck as shops on both O and R ships.

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The longer the cruise, the more opportunities there will be for extra specialty reservations, particularly if you're flexible about day/time/sharing. Daily reservations can now be made at a dedicated desk on same deck as shops on both O and R ships.

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

The longer the cruise, the more opportunities there will be for extra specialty reservations, particularly if you're flexible about day/time/sharing. Daily reservations can now be made at a dedicated desk on same deck as shops on both O and R ships.

40 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

 

You might be lucky to score an extra one or two, especially if you are willing to share a table. Also you might get one on long port days. People might be away for the evening. 

However the other food options are pretty great too. And the menus don't change very much day to day (if at all) in the specialty restaurants. (They may have a pasta of the day, etc. of course.)

Thank you!

Thanks Francis for the helpful info!

1 minute ago, Tansy Mews said:

 

I have taken some ship's excursions as oLife, notably on our Norwegian and Adriatic cruises. Very well done. 

However I haven't had any that were above and beyond the number of tours I could select as my oLife perk.

I normally book independently.

For my upcoming cruise, I refused the oLife because the options for tours I could choose with oLife didn't look great and our son who is a third passenger in our cabin would have to pay full price for O excursions.

 

My suggestion - look to see if you could optimize the free excursions with oLife. Certainly don't take the on board credit! You pay almost exactly what you get.

 

1 minute ago, Tansy Mews said:

 

I have taken some ship's excursions as oLife, notably on our Norwegian and Adriatic cruises. Very well done. 

However I haven't had any that were above and beyond the number of tours I could select as my oLife perk.

I normally book independently.

For my upcoming cruise, I refused the oLife because the options for tours I could choose with oLife didn't look great and our son who is a third passenger in our cabin would have to pay full price for O excursions.

 

My suggestion - look to see if you could optimize the free excursions with oLife. Certainly don't take the on board credit! You pay almost exactly what you get.

 

3 minutes ago, Tansy Mews said:

 

You might be lucky to score an extra one or two, especially if you are willing to share a table. Also you might get one on long port days. People might be away for the evening. 

However the other food options are pretty great too. And the menus don't change very much day to day (if at all) in the specialty restaurants. (They may have a pasta of the day, etc. of course.)

Many thanks for this helpful info!

2 minutes ago, ORV said:

Not sure what your questions are? 

 

Shows are at 9:30 most nights, with an occasional early show. Booking Specialties has been discussed here in many threads, a search will yield all you care to know. 

 

What do you want to know about shore excursions? 

Thanks for the info on shows and specialties. I know we receive 4 specialty reservations, but was curious on how difficult it was to get another one onboard if desired. Regarding shore excursions, just wondering if any were particularly good or bad. I know some people book the ships offerings and some book independents on their own.

19 hours ago, pinotlover said:

We routinely book Concierge on the O ships, only on longer cruises do we book PH. On R ships, we book a PH.

 

So, to your question. With the concierge class bookings, I have always gotten my first choice bookings in the Specialty restaurants. Always. Not true for those booking later in lower suites.

 

On sea days, I enjoy using the Spa Terrace.   Quite, comfortable, and with out all crowds and chair hogs you can read recent threads about!

 

We cruise for the ports. On port days we are off the ship and don’t return until near all aboard. On days when we have questionable lunch plans, having the availability of a full hot breakfast is wonderful, especially in the cooler climates.

 

Procedures change. In the past, for an extra Specialty reservation, one made the request at the 5th deck table for such, and you’d be notified around 14:00 if you got your request. PH and above typically use their Butler for this, but some refuse the use of a Butler for any purpose. Being awarded the extra reservation was based on (a) a pecking order of cabin level and (b) the number of extra nights you had already received. “ A” cabins are lower in the pecking order than PH and above, but higher than B,C, D etc. On longer cruises, 15+ days, this isn’t a big deal in that there will be plenty of opportunities. On cruises 12 days and less it matters, especially on a full ship.

 

We never take advantage of it ( if it’s actually an advantage) but Concierge does get earlier boarding times and their cabins are ready for occupancy sooner than lower class cabins.

 

On sea days, I occasionally enjoy sitting in the Concierge or Executive Lounge and reading real newspapers and catching up on world events. Not overly impressed with the squawk box news options in the cabins. I also know that some coming back from tours after the Terrace closes for lunch, enjoy the Lounges for an easy light snack in lieu of fighting the hordes at Waves.

 

If you’re running late in the morning, the Lounge is a great place to grap a cappuccino and pastry as you head out for your tour.

 

As you can see, we believe a Concierge cabin is worth, and we never turn down the included bottle of bubbly even if it is Germain!

 

 

Any observations on booking specialty restaurant reservations, time of shows in evening and shore excursions. Thank you