Dukefan

Have Shore Excursions been listed in MVJ for any of the Welcome Back Cruises yet?  Those of us on the Iceland's Natural Beauty Cruise have been hearing for several weeks that they should be available soon.  

The fact that Viking has added so many new cruises around Iceland may slow the release of the shore excursions as Viking will probably use these newly added cruises to improve their negotiated pricing and services with their local shore excursion providers.  That is probably not good news for those of us that are impateint to see what shore excursions are offered and the pricing.

I have booked a transfer to the airport from the ship on board before.  We always book ur own flights and on our last cruise we decided to book a transfer to the airport.   We went to guest services and arranged it.  It was no problem.

I posted this on another topic and meant to post it on this topic. So if you are reading it twice I appoligize.

I just looked at the Reykjavik Port site schedule ( http://www.faxafloahafnir.is/cruiseships/index.php?l=en&w=csyear=2016#2016-9-27 ) and found that Viking appears to be adding a bunch of Iceland Welcom Back Cruises as follows:

7/22 - 29 Venus

7/24 - 31 Star (Sky)

7/27 - 8/3 Jupiter

7/29 - 8/5 Venus

7/31 - 8/7 Star (Sky)

8/3 - 8/10 Jupiter

8/5 - 8/12 Venus

8/7 - 8/14 Star (Sky)

8/10 - 8/17 Jupiter

8/12 - 8/19 Venus

8/14 - 8/21 Star (Sky)

8/17 - 8/24 Jupiter

8/21 - 8/28 Star (Sky)

8/24 - 8/31 Jupiter

8/28 - 9/4 Star (Sky)

9/4 - 9/11 Star (Sky)

The reason I have "Star (Sky)" listed is that on the cruises that appear on Viking Website everytime the Port schedule shows the Star Vikings Website shows Sky. 

In any case, I don't know how many of these will really happen but if you have the ships that are seating around and you have a cruise that can sell out in 2-3 days, it makes good sense to me to keep scheling that cruise which ot appears Viking might be doing.  Interesting.

This site has five of the Chef's Table menus plus menus for the other Viking Restaurants if you are interested:   https://eatsleepcruise.com/viking-ocean-cruises-restaurant-guide/

2 hours ago, Twitchly said:

Smoking on flights! Boy, those were the days. NOT.

I can remember my early First Class Flights to Europe when after meal service the flight attendents would come around with a tray of cigarettes to offer the passengers who smoked.   Later the airlines would have the smoking passengers on one side and the non-smoking passengers on the other side.  I remember thinking what a wonderful improvement this was.  Then the airlines developed smoking sections and non-smoking sections seperated by rows before stopping smoking all together.   Maybe that is why there were no flat bed seats in those days - they were afraid of people smoking in bed.

Shortest flight I every had was in the late 70's or early 80's on Southwest Airlines on a Beoing 737 from Houston Hobby to Houston Intecontinental Airport.  It is a air distance of less than 30 miles.  I don't recall how long the flight was but it was fast with no beverage service.  I remember joking that the taxi to and from each of the gates to the runway were longer than the flight.  It was when Southwest was only flying in Texas because in could get approvals to fly outside of Texas.

1 hour ago, Dukefan said:

Yesterday Iceland updated it border policy.  This is an article from The Reykjavik Grapevine on this update:  https://grapevine.is/news/2021/04/21/icelands-new-border-policy-what-it-means/

 

The really good news in this article is that Iceland believes everyone in their country over 16 years old will have gotten at least one vaccine shot by July 1st.

Yesterday Iceland updated it border policy.  This is an article from The Reykjavik Grapevine on this update:  https://grapevine.is/news/2021/04/21/icelands-new-border-policy-what-it-means/

55 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

Probably after paint brushes and spanners, "Duck Tape" is the next most tool on a ship.😀😁

 

We also take a roll and even as a pax we invariably find some uses for it. At the end of the last WC, came in handy repairing an old bag that we ended up having to bring home, as the original plan was to leave the relic behind. 

Actually the two things I have probably used most in my travels (not only cruising) are duck tape and my swiss army knife. I wouldn't travel anywhere probably without them.

53 minutes ago, Twitchly said:

I may regret this, but … what do you do with the Duck tape?

I have found with traveling as well as around the home Duck Tape can be used for a large number of fix-it tasks.  I take a flat piece of cardboard and roll several feet of Duck Tape around it - it then is a little less than the size of a standard smart-phone so it takes up almost no space.  Over the years, I have used it to repair suitcases, shoes, wrapping packages to bring home, etc. 

If they serve you a wine that you don't like very well, ask if anything else is available.  I have found that the Viking Crew always does anything reasonable to make your experience as good as possible.  Very few reasonable requests ever get turned down.   Of course, how resonable a request is may be different between different folks.

Viking Cruise Advice:  We have a "Cruise Kit" that we always take that we keep in a gallon ziplock bag.  It contains about 10 feet of Duck Tape, a couple pads of post-it notes and a pen, a few paper clips, some bobbie pins, a couple of magnetic hooks (for hanging jackets or robes), a few clothes pins, a 5 foot buggy cord (to hang stuff to dry in the shower), a champage stopper, a couple wine stoppers, a TSA approved wine opener and a couple ziplock bags.

In the late afternoon we will often order the "Chef's Selection of Premium Cold Cuts" and the "Selection of International & Astisan Cheeses" from room service to enjoy on the deck a glass of wine or a Gin & Tonic.   We also ask for a lime the first day that we use for the G&T.  You can also drop by the World Cafe for some shushi to take back to your deck to enjoy with a evening cocktail.

The Coffees in the Living Room Cafe are great.  If you are a Steak Tartare fan which I am, Mamsen's is your spot for a fix - they also have great waffles for breakfast. 

Speaking of food.  I also love the Seared Ahi Tuna Sandwich at the Pool Grill.

Manfredi's is great and the Chef's Table menus are always fun.  I in fact enjoy all the food on Viking.

Bottom line:  Visit each of Vikings Resturant's, Bars, and Cafes and I promise you will find things that will excite and delight.    I can't wait for July - I have really, really missed cruising on Viking!!!!!

View of the Viking Sea from the Viking Venus Sky Cam in Vallette, Malta Live: https://viking.panomax.com/venus

16 minutes ago, Heidi13 said:

 

I believe that is correct. Planetariums only installed on Orion & Jupiter

I'm wondering if during this downtime the Planetariums were removed from the Viking Orion & Jupiter.  If you visit Viking's website to look at these ships and what is available on each deck, it no longer lists the Planetarium or Observatory on Deck 8.

37 minutes ago, Clay Clayton said:

I’ve found that writing down our preferences and leaving the note in the fridge seems to shorten the time it takes. Unless I’m mistaken, the room steward isn’t the minibar crew so additionally nothing gets lost in translation. 

Yes, the Steward communicates with the crew member doing restocking.  Good idea about leaving a note on preferences in the mini-bar.  I'll do that next time.

Viking is very accommodating with changing out the mini-bar.   We are not fans of vodka or rum and are not big beer drinkers.  Therefore we ask that the beer be replaced with wine and that the rum & vodka be replaced with extra mini bottles of scotch, bourban if they have it and if not gin.   We also ask for a fresh lime each day and request the cans of soda be changed out with more tonic and club soda.  In other words, when you get to your cabin with a mini-bar, look at what is in there, decide what you would like to change out, and tell your steward. Since we change out so much of the mini-bar it often takes a couple of days before we get it just like we want it.  The bottle of red and white wine they leave us is not a 90+ rated wine but it is quite drinkable. Even though we always have had the mini-bar, we still get the SSBP to get a better wine selection at dinner, for pre-dinner cocktails at our table or in one of the bars, and for drinks in the theater but also for the convenience.

When booking a PV1 Cabin we always try to get on the 6th under the World Cafe.   We have never hear any noise even when we are on the verandah.   With regard to cabins with Sliders: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=704137

38 minutes ago, tring said:

 

Thanks for the update re Iceland.

 

Just to correct your information regards the UK.  The UK have now fully left the EU from the beginning of this year, we had left last year but were in a "half way" situation which was a transition state were the EU rules still applied to us.  We have never been in the Schengen area, even when we were in the EU, so that has no relevance to us.

 

A lot of cruise companies have planned short UK cruises this summer, but all are only for UK residents, which is not the same as UK citizens.  A UK citizen living in another country is not allowed to travel to the UK to take one of those cruises.  There have been, and continue to be, some cruises taking place in other countries, but as far as I know they too are only available to residents of the country from which the cruise takes place.  Many (possibly all) of the cruises taking place are just what are often called "cruises to nowhere", meaning that they just pooter out into the sea/Ocean and sail around, possibly taking in scenic locations whilst doing so.

 

Yes there are specific requirements for all cruises, though vaccination requirements vary with the cruise line, MSC for instance intend to just use testing and crew may not be able to be vaccinated before any of the cruise lines sail, but will be tested regularly on board and will have to Quarantine on the ship, before being allowed to take up their duties.  A fair bit of that is Gov rules (after a lot of consultation etc.) and other things are the individual decisions of the cruise line concerned.  Of course there will be more clarification before the cruises take place, so any rules, regulations and plans may well change and could indeed change again once the ship's are sailing in the UK and likely other countries as well.

 

International cruising from any country is a much different ball game, but when and how that happens remains to be seen.  I see the Republic of Ireland are adding the US, Canada, Italy Belgium and France to their red list, meaning anyone coming in from those countries will need to quarantine in specific hotels on arrival at their own expense (and they are pricey in the UK, so likely so there).  Not something allowed for travel purposes either, but more a matter of returning nationals or the Republic for instance.  In some ways everything is closing in rather than opening up in many parts of Europe.

Thanks tring for the clarification.  Since being part of the EU was not a requirement to be part of the Schengen Agreement, I was unsure what the UK would do once they left the EU.  I never released until your post that they were never part of the Schengen Agreement even when they were in the EU.   

Iceland is a Schengen Country and Viking last week started taking bookings for June and July, 2021 there.   Iceland's requirement was that all passengers and crew must have been vacinated with an EU or US approved vaccine and that everyone on the cruise must follow Iceland Covid Policies while there.  The UK which is leaving the EU but I believe might continue to be a Schengen Country has cruises on Viking starting in May, 2021, but only for UK citzens.  Based on this, I believe that Greece probably will be able to return to cruising if its govenment approves under some special rules such as crew and passengers being vaccinated with an approved vaccine and the ship only stopping in countries when the local govenment approves.

Viking told me today that the entire crew as well as the passengers for the Iceland cruise will have been vacinated.   It was one of the requirements to cruise in Iceland.

Those of us that have visited Venice over the years have seen the challenges that the large cruise ships bring as the city appears more and more fragile each year.  There are few sights more wonderful in cruising than sailing past St. Marks, but I personally would give that up to save this city for future generations to enjoy.   

I completely agree with other posters that not spending several days in Venice if your cruise starts or ends there is a waste or your cruise.   Even if your ship overnight's in Venice, it is not enough time to truly enjoy this wonderful city.  Part of the best time in Venice is after the day visitors have left and you can enjoy a dinner over looking the canal, doing a gondola ride,  just walking around, listening to music at a bar or theater, etc.  

T

1 hour ago, Mrs Miggins said:

Difference is that both Ravenna and Trieste are interesting destinations in themselves.  A couple of years ago our Taxi Driver from Venice to the Airport was saying that Marghera had been mooted as an alternative but he thought it would cost an enormous amount of money to make it suitable and the visitors would probably hate it as it very very industrial. 

If you are wanting to see Venice, Marghera is a much better port since it is about 15 minutes from the city where Ravenna and Trieste are each over two hours.  Of course, if I was a taxi driver, I would prefer to drive folks 2+ hours instead of 15 minutes.

A couple of days ago, Italy's ministers for the environment, culture, tourism, and infrastructure agreed to temporarily divert the cruise ships to the port of Marghera.   This port is much more convenient to get to either the airport or to Venice than either Ravenna or Triesta which had been dicussed in an effort to reduce traffic around Venice.  It means cruise passengers will no longer sail passed St. Mark's on their way into port.   Since Marghera is currently an industrial port it will be interesting to see how the cruise lines and the local transportation services manage this situation especially since this was announced as a temporary move until a long term solution can be developed.   It will be interesting to see how Viking is able to manage this change.  Of course, since Viking ships are not considered large cruise ships by some, they may be able to still use the current Venice port.  Here is the article announcing the decission:  https://www.maritime-executive.com/article/italy-agrees-to-divert-cruise-ships-from-venice-to-industrial-port

10 hours ago, duquephart said:

 

You left out extra TV.

We aren't much of TV watchers.   One is plenty to get the menus, which we mostly get from the Viking App and the screens in the hall.   So the extra TV was not a major plus for us.   But you are right, there is an extra TV which is meaningful to some folks or they probably wouldn't have added it.

9 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Dukefan - you sound just like us!  (my wife also has the hearing problems that have caused us to avoid the large Viking excursions - unless they are extra special).  It will be interesting to see how long it will be a Viking Excursions only required set of rules until people are allowed to wander on their own or take private excursions.  Maybe 2023?

CCWineLover

I love your CC name since I also am a also wine lover.  Hopefully we can bump into each other on a future cruise and discuss our favorite wines and our cellars.   I have taken a couple of wine trips to Paso Robles during the pass few years (last time in October 2019).  There are several wonderful wineries in your area.  I am currently on the mailing lists of a few of them since I am a fan on Rhone style wines which are popular from this region.

I am hopeful that Viking will allow folks to wander on their own and take private excursions much sooner than 2023.  Hopefully a year or so from now in mid- 2022!  It will depend on how vaccines go and their experience when they start cruising again this summer maybe.