Clay Clayton

Have a great time! Thanks for all you did to make this a great journey.

We did the whale watching and the most demanding thing was the temperature once the boat got going. Take your coats, hats, gloves even if it doesn’t feel like you’ll need them. There is a small part of the boat that is inside but best views are out front. Keep your expectations on seeing whales relatively low. We saw Minke Whales and a pod of dolphins so it was a great morning. The included tour there was also enjoyable-the botanical garden is beautiful (or was when we were there) We did the ice lagoon on our land visit. I was worried about the zodiac entry and exit also due to my balance and knee issues. That turned out not to be a big concern-the issue I had was the climb up and over the berm that surrounded the lagoon. You can see the berm behind Mike in his fashionable survival suit. It was a rocky gravel path that was pretty steep. I hadn’t planned on taking my hiking stick but was glad I had it. The lagoon ride was great fun putting on the survival suit, not so much!

Seems to me this is either the tour operators fault or the guests for not giving them the correct all aboard time (with a margin for error). I’m a big proponent of independent excursions and have never in all our cruising had an issue-but we always tell the operator we want to be back to the pier at least an hour before the all aboard time and sometimes longer. I hope someone on CC will post the name of the operator so that nobody else books with them. I’ve found that conscientious tour guides always have a plan B. On one tour on South America I had arranged for a small group, the guide got a phone call when we were on the way back to the ship. Another guide working for a different company was calling as their van had blown a tire. Our guide asked if we would be willing to pick up those passengers, rather than them cutting it very close while they changed the tire. We of course welcomed our fellow guests-and as I recall, our new friends insisted on paying the tips to the guide for all of us.

I just hope some of the new menus we have gotten to have will make it into regular rotation🤞

Just finished the New Chef’s Table South African menu designed by Chef Beni who has been with Sky for several months and is a warm and wonderful guy (and whom I helped push to add salt to the grits😂) OMG, dinner was so good! Pictures and notes are posted over on the 21 menus thread. Go make reservations now-Beni is boarding in Cape Town to share with y’all. I’d make reservations for one of the sea days a few days after he boards even if the menu says something else-we heard about the new one from him a couple of weeks ago, but the menu didnt show up on the app or calendar at the podium until a couple of days ago. We hope Beni will be rejoining us after he visits y’all but he says that hasn’t been decided yet. 🤞 #SkyGetsEverythingFirst

Just finished dinner-OMG, so good! Pictures and notes are posted over on the 21 menus thread. Neptune-go make reservations now-Beni is boarding in Cape Town to share with y’all. I’d make reservations for one of the sea days a few days after he boards. We hope he will be rejoining us but he says that hasn’t been decided yet. 🤞 #SkyGetsEverythingFirst

Enjoyed an incredible meal designed by Chef Beni tonight aboard Sky at the Chef’s Table featuring his interpretation of South African cuisine. The amuse had really incredible flavors. The yellowfin course was fine but our least favorite-would have preferred it as a smaller amuse and given us a larger fish cake and more chalaka sauce! #yummy. The main course was the best beef dish we’ve had in a long time-the corn cake was a perfect foil to the oh-so-tender meat. Dessert which Beni told us afterwards was a dish offered at all restaurants in South Africa, was a delicious cake with hints of ginger and molasses. We hope we can get in again before we get to Cape Town when Beni leaves us to share this menu aboard our sister World Cruise ship, Neptune. (I’ll update the listing of all Chef’s Table Menus when I have better wifi)

Great cooking demonstration this morning by Chef Beni of Fish Cake with Apple Chutney and Chakalaka Sauce (peppers, tomato, onion, curry and baked beans!😳)-one of the dishes on his new South African Chef’s Table menu. Can’t wait to try it tonight!

Lovely (albeit windy and rocky) sea day aboard Sky. So nice to have cooler temperatures and lower humidity-can finally have breakfast outside again!

Shall I leave some of ours on the pier in Réunion for you? I can also leave some of the chocolate work they did for the Easter lunch today if you’d like. 😂

Wonderful surprise when we got back to our room after dinner last night! I finally had the always available chicken dinner in The Restaurant -tasty. Happy Easter!

Our current schedule shows us anchoring in Greenwich on May 5 overnight and disembarking on May 6.

Enjoyed the “Formal” Dinner tonight. Pictured are -Goat cheese soufflé -Snow Crab Timbale -White Tomato Cappuccino (needed more tomato) -Onion Soup (needed cheese I am told) -Lobster -Filet -Cannoli (we’re still crunchy I am told) -Soufflé Lots of Officers and others visiting tables, generally a wonderful atmosphere. Given how busy the restaurant was, have to believe Mexican Night at the World Cafe was a ghost town.

Frankly I didn’t ask them but they did say it took awhile and some negotiations to cancel it. From what I’ve heard it’s likely carpel tunnel or tendinitis, he didn’t play for several days and hoped it would resolve. But he was scheduled to play a day or two ago and when it came time, I was told he said “ I can’t feel my hand”. So better for him to not injure it any further and get it fixed. Agree with you and will greatly miss him.

A while back somebody booked on a future world cruise asked for the Indian overland itinerary. Below are pictures of what our trivia team mates received initially. This is for the A group that got to go to the Taj Mahal twice, not the B trip that only went once. Our friends decided to cancel as they weren’t up to the multiple and long flights so this may not reflect the final actual trip.

Sad to learn today that Mark’s rest hasn’t helped his hand so he is leaving us tomorrow. He will definitely be missed. Hope he can soon be back aboard a Viking ship and entertain others the way he has us.

LOL-now I’m gonna have to go back and figure out who I stole it from-seems like a YouTuber

Are you sure this was in Viking? Life jackets aren’t kept in the staterooms-at least not in V, DV, PV🤔

Same!

Is it just me (or maybe it’s only happening on Sky) but is anyone else missing the chirping birds (or ocean sounds) in the public restrooms onboard? Sky now has several different sounds-one set might be whales, but there is another that sounds like rutting boar!😳 There is another than sounds like it might be some tribal sounds-but it’s mostly children it seems so a bit disturbing at best.

For those who need a photo to understand, see before and after below-we do this to our V/DVs also.

Beautiful picture! You beat me to it, we had been worried about the Cyclone based on earlier forecasts but just found the one below and looks like we will be well away before it gets there…hopefully it will be gone before Neptune gets there. As long as it stays a tropical storm/depression I can understand the locals not being worried, but I suspect the 11 dead folks in Madagascar weren't worried either…rain and flooding can be an awful thing. Enjoying a beautiful penultimate Sea Day aboard our 447 passenger private yacht!

I’ve just been told by someone who shall go unnamed but is in the know and whose first initial is “O” that there is going to be a special fancy dinner in the Restaurant tomorrow. Just checked the app and it doesn’t show a menu but says “Naming Ceremony”. I was told Manfredi’s and Chef’s Table will be closed so that they have enough staff.

It only takes one incident to make someone a hero!

According to Mr Google it’s Hagen@vikingcruises.com. Do you have something different?