vslparis

Thanks ! Now we know what to look for 😀

You are correct of course . I realized that after I reread your post. However, I still did not see any booked excursions on the APP a until about 2 hours after you saw yours. Strange, but not worth losing sleep over !

Hope this comes out OK.

Interesting, no shore excursions showed up on my app until around noon . I even deleted and reinstalled the app. Even once they did show up , I couldn’t book on the app. Turned my paper in right after noon and only got two of my first choices. One stop it was the third choice 😬. However, I know to keep checking so hopefully some of my first choices might become available.

I think that I would question that. You only need the vaccine if you are coming from infected countries and when I looked at those countries the other day, we were not stopping anywhere that was on the list. Things could change of course, but I certainly would ask them to clarify.

Looks very nice. I would have enjoyed seeing all those Art Deco buildings. We almost didn’t make it into Nelson due to high winds, but on the 3rd attempt we were able to dock ; although about 2 hours late. Viking did a great job of rearranging the tours. They even got the Nelson Car Museum to stay open an extra couple of hours for the late tours.

This is our third time to Wellington and have seen a good bit there. I had looked at the tram before, but didn’t want to pay for an excursion there as we could have done it on our own. However, this time it is an included tour so we will give it a try .

Makes sense . My thought is if the Captain says it is unsafe to go, then we don’t go. Love Wellington and the Te Papa Museum ( which is one of the included tours) ; not sure about McDonalds though 🤣. The Gallipoli : The Scales of Our War exhibit, in collaboration with the WETA Worksop , there is not to be missed. I think the included tour gives about 90 minutes in the museum, but I would recommend that you take your time there and use the shuttle bus to return to the ship if it stops close by.

Unfortunately, no wine tasting in Napier ( Hawk’s Bay ) tomorrow as our stop there has been cancelled due to high winds. We will have a day at sea and head directly to Wellington. Guess we will have to just drink some New Zealand wine in the Living Room or Explorer’s bar .🤣

Yes indeed; lots of mop-up going on and drying off of chairs .

We were on the Saturn in August doing the Bergen to NYC trip and they did open the windows on a few days. However one of those days the windows either were left slightly open or perhaps the seal around them on the port side failed because when the automatic window cleaner came by one afternoon , my husband a several others sitting in those lounge chairs received an unexpected shower 🤣. Took the crew a good while to dry up the whole area 😬

Just put that deadheading non rev in a jump seat 🤣

I can’t speak to what Viking does in these ports as we have always done the SS package but I do know that the extra tax is not just Europe as we had it in Spain on Oceania this spring on drinks, but in the US too. We sailed out of Miami in January ,also on Oceania, and they added a sales tax to a glass of wine that I ordered. The bartender said that once we were out of port, they didn’t add the extra tax. I noticed it because Oceania has you sign for a drink if you don’t have a package. I don’t believe that Viking does that so it may be hard to tell ;although something might be posted about it in the Viking Daily.

The best thing to do is make sure that the staff on board know what your flight time is. Is a 10:05 am flight out too early for a 7am arrival, yes. However , that 7 am time is not necessarily the port arrival time , but clearance delays can happen. If keep making them aware of your restrictions , I have no doubt that they will do their best to get you off as soon as possible . You might want to have Plan B in case you don’t make your flight ; especially if you are checking luggage.

Instead of asking them to give you business class on the Air Canada schedule that you have, why not ask them what business class they do have for your itinerary . As others have said, Viking has contracts for airfare ; but it is not for every flight on every airline and it is not always the least expensive. If it doesn’t work out with them , then hopefully you have a good travel agent who can help you find a good option for you or you are skilled enough to do it on your own. Good luck and I know once on board you will enjoy Viking 😀

@Clay Clayton thanks for asking this question. I am booked on the 02 August departure of your cruise and have booked the wildlife boat tour on Day 1 and the included walking tour and museum on day 2 in Longyearbyen and was wondering if we can do both . Hopefully someone will have been in this same situation and can offer so insight.

We are on the same ship doing the 28 day to NYC and have not found it a problem to get reservations at Manfredis’ on board or the Main dining room if flexible ( the key word here being flexible😉)

Glad to hear you are recovering. I have heard about the Paxlovid taste; sounds nasty . You will enjoy the beauty of Alaska and congratulations on a big anniversary ! We are off for a 7 week trip in about 2 weeks doing a TA , Austria, a Krakow to Berlin trip and then somehow got talked into meeting our son , daughter in law and 1 year old grandson in Cancun for a few nights ( thinking they want a babysitter for a few days there 🤣) . August sees us doing a Viking Bergen to NY trip after visiting friends that live outside of Oslo and then family in NY at the end of the cruise . Then it will be time to focus on the WC.

Oh no , sorry to hear about you being sick . This is what happens when you put “boys and beer “ together 🤣. I hope you are both feeling better soon.

All depends on your departure city and the time of year . As the OP mentioned, from Tampa it is crazy high ; same from the DFW area. Airfare is never a one size fits all thing. All about supply and demand in the market you are flying from. Late October can be very different than the middle of summer when it comes to pricing.

I know ! You should look into driving to Miami and doing your own flights from there . I would price out what it would be to fly from there on a schedule you like ( at least 1 day before the cruise leaves please ! ) , then call Oceania and see what it might cost to have them do the flights ( including the $195 pp fee and any extra up charge) . Doesn’t cost anything to ask.

Looks like 2023 is shaping up to be another Year of Strikes like it was several years ago. Strikes on and off from Spring until fall by airline workers, transit workers ATC workers , and anyone else that felt like jumping on that platform 😬. As my mother use to say “it’s a great life if you don’t weaken “ !

The OP did say that the air credit was $1000 ( USD I imagine since they are in Florida) ,so around $1400CAD I think. It certainly could be more advantageous to book outside the cruise line ; certainly is if you want more control over your flights . Just depends on the time of year and what city you are flying from ; is certainly worth a look by cruiser . From Miami it could be possible to stay in that $1000 pp range at times but from other cities not so much .

If you opt to take the $1000 off for not using Oceania’s air, you will need to find airfare on your own. For something like a trip to Europe, it more than likely is going to be a better value to take Oceania’s flight unless you are using miles for flights. No way will you get economy airfare for $1000 per ticket these days . However, if you are picky about your routing or airline the better option for you might be to pay more and find the flights you want on your own. Oceania charges $195 per person for you to be able to pick specific flights. If those flights are more than their contracted rates, then you will pay the difference also. Yes Oceania does periodic price increase and the next one will be on 03 April . Generally, your deposit is refundable up until 180 days before departure but to know for sure, just put the sailing on hold ( usually about a week without a deposit) and look at the Guest Cancellation Schedule usually found on the second page. Also pay attention to the Cancellation of Ancillary Fees schedule ; the custom air fee of $195 is non refundable once you pay for it .