vslparis

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 .

Is that at Reid’s hotel?

This is what occurred when we arrived at Heathrow the beginning of last month during a Border Force strike. Just used the electronic passport gates and if you had an issue , the regular gates were manned by Armed Forces personnel. Going thru the electronic gates was definitely quicker than a manual check and the lines were short. Hopefully it will be the same way for the next LHR strike action. Welcome to Europe 😉

Just curious , is this flight flown by BA or sold as a BA flight but flown by AA ?

Well, so do I 🤣. I have run into this in the past , but am always willing to be updated . The seats are free only from 24 hours before the flight on this schedule . A lot has to do with the price point of course and what amenities come with a contracted rate that someone like Viking usually has. Crazy to think that you can pay $5582 for a ticket and not have a confirmed seat assignment without a fee until check in. It certainly is an IAG thing . I guess my point was that never assume that you will have a seat assignment without a fee in any class ; you do need to keep checking if Viking says no to that because there is also sometimes a time restriction as to when they are available. Again, due to contracts.

Iberia also. Probably others , but it is good never to assume that even business class gets you a seat assignment before check in without paying. It is something US travelers have a hard time wrapping their head around since it is not the norm with US carriers like it is with some non US carriers. And you are correct, it is audacious . Last year BA wanted another $160 a seat for pre check in sear assignments in Business class from NY.

Thanks for the reminder. I was planning on looking into a car rental at the pier for our day in Reykjavik when doing Bergen to New York in August. We were on the first Welcome Back Iceland trip in June 2021 and did not have to give in our passports at that time ; had to jump thru so many hoops to sail,but that wasn’t one of them. Not sure when you are sailing but if someone with more recent experience doesn’t answer your question, you might find out from a Cruise Critic Board about a current Iceland sailing.

We were 8 days into the 2022 World Horizon trip when my husband fell and shattered his humerus while we were docked in Puerto Vallarta. The Viking Customer Relations manager arranged for transportation to a hospital, and an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon . Once it was determined that we would have to disembark, they arranged for housekeeping to help me pack ( the 4 months worth of things that I had just unpacked several day prior 😬) and for us to clear customers and immigration . The Customer Relations Manager and someone from Vikings medical office called several times to check up on things . I arranged with the hospital to get back to the ship for the luggage and then they took me to my hotel which I arranged myself ( but Viking did ask if I needed help with that ) . I called my trip insurance company ( not with Viking) from the hospital to start a claim and from that point on they were the ones I spoke to regarding any sort of help needed. As @Selion mentioned, my insurance has a service that would have helped with a hotel, transportation ,return flights if needed. For that solo Traveller not be contacted by Viking, it could have been that she didn’t have any cell service so they couldn’t call like they did for us ( another reason to have international cell service while traveling ) . Bottom line is that Viking will help arrange things with local medical and be kept informed, but only up to a certain point ; you need to be proactive and know what your trip insurance will be doing to help if the need arises. It is not all on Viking.

Yes, unfortunately, this has been the norm for many years with many foreign carriers. You can not assign seats until the flight is ticketed and even then you may have to pay for a seat assignment if you want to have it before check in . This is true even in business class ( unless you either have a high status with the airline or if Viking has a contracted arrangement to allow you to get them before that ) . Generally you can get seats together at check in but it is not guaranteed; only way to do that is to pay for early seat assignments with these foreign carriers. Also, as an FYI , if your flight is sold as United, but operated by Lufthansa, you will need to check in with Lufthansa.

This is defiantly on our list for next year !

Another reason to not being able to disembark in a port is if that port does not have or can not get immigration and customs officials available to disembark passengers. Generally this happens in smaller ports that do not generally embark or disembark passengers. And yes, I know this for an absolute fact 😉. Not matter where or when someone wants to disembark ( and also embark as happened to someone my recent Sea Dream cruise) the cruise line must be notified and grant permission and it should be writing.

Have some limoncello for me ! I wonder if that is available on the SS package in the Explorer’s Lounge . We will be in London next month and I am pretty sure your weather will be warmer than mine ! We plan to be on the for the WC in 2024 for the whole trip this time ( at least from LA) 😉

I prefer to make limoncello out of lemons 🤣

Others have stated on CC that the bar prices have also gone up ( a glass of wine that was $6 is now $8 for example so even more than 25% assuming I did the math correctly 🤣) so the value is pretty much the same . Some people think the SS package is a good value , others don’t . This is why it is good that you are given a choice to take it or not. Viking’s increase is better than on Oceania where the upgrade went from $20 per person per day to $30 pp per day .

It is also a good idea for them to have your booking number and cabin number . Enjoy your extension travelling in Australia it is an amazing country to visit. We did about 10 days after getting off in Sydney 3 years ago; driving down along the Great Ocean Road, thru some great wine areas and finishing in Adelaide. I would do that again in a heartbeat and hope to do something similar in another area .Lots of interesting places to see and visit in Australia.

Yes , many cruise lines are raised the pricing on drink packages, gratuities , wi-fi etc. Viking just raised their Silver Spirts add on for ocean cruises from $20 to $25 per day without any notification at all 😒.

We are doing the Bergen to NYC trip on 02 August . After that , our second attempt at the World Horizon 121 days starting January 2024 😀. Not going to let my husband carry anything in the World Cafe this time 😉

Not stop drinking, just drink more to make up for the extra cost 🤣. Send yourself an updated email from MVJ and you should see that the SS noted on there is at the new rate.not the old one . I don’t think that you can see each individual payment made on your booking ( like I can on the TA invoice) but you should be able to see the total payments made and the , what should be, the new total for the trip which more than likely is the difference between the old and new SS pricing minus what you just paid online. My trip total is now exactly $280 more than it was before which is the exact amount of that difference .

Well, I did that too and paid the old rate, however when I look at the invoice it shows $700 per person ( vs the $558 per person) and when I look at the balance I now owe on my cruise it is $280 more . That $280 is the difference between the old SS price and the new one minus what I just paid 😒

I know ! It probably wouldn’t be so annoying to pay an additional $5 per person if I had a 7-10 day cruise or if I hadn’t noticed it for a few months rather than a day or two after I meant to purchase it . Oh well, still a good deal as I imagine the cost of cocktails on board will be increasing too.

Looks like the SS package is now $25 per person per day . I had put the package in my shopping cart yesterday (or the day before ) and for my 28 day trip it was $558 per person for the length of the trip; today it showed $700 per person 😬. Someone on another social media site also mentioned that plus an increase in gratuities but I can’t confirm that since I hadn’t done that one yet. Did anyone receive a notice about an upcoming price increase in these ?

Disembarking a ship is very different situation than getting off for the day . For disembarking the cruise line must work with the local customs and immigration authorities to make sure that there is an official present to clear you to disembark as you are essentially being let loose into the country. There are ports where that is not possible. This is why the request needs to be done in advance and approved by the cruise line and local authorities. In a large port such as Mumbai where international flights leave at all times of the day, I imagine that this would not be a problem but is certainly something that needs to be approved in advance.