Cisterna

$300 for the two of you ,that's nice if they would have told you before you selected your excursions! What the heck are you going to do with that! Can you use them for massages or is that a private company not part of the OBC ?. Also have you seen any on board cooking classes scheduled during your sea days? We have done a few on Orion and they were really fun .

Dave - I'm sure it might be too soon to answer this - Hubbby needs to check in with the office - mostly emails ~ Ho Hum - it will be the start of tax season and he is a CPA - How is the Wifi - and what is the best time of day to use it. I would imagine New Zealand will be best since we will always be close to land vs, when we make the ocean crossing to/from Australia. And I do know you are using it for this blog 🤣 Thanks Kristi

Exactly! They must take it to a currendcy exchange, lose some worth, and their time! Same with Australia

Have you noticed if people are tipping the guides and drivers?

Well I'm going to beat a dead horse. We have been on 45+ cruises, Ocean, River, Expedition, as well as cattle ships. We are very flexible and understanding, can easily make lemonade out of lemons. My frustration is not being told , especially when the change in port is known at time of booking , months in advance and in fact when asked being told the port has not changed. Corporate, when pushed, admitted it is a different tinerary for our specific sailing. A notice to passengers of a planned itinerary change is customary

Train from Geelong to Melbourne?

You will find it here: https://docs.vikingcruises.com/pdf/2-230626_BookingAndSaleTermsAndConditions.pdf Advanced, Cancelled or Delayed; Acts of God; Strikes; Other Changes: VRC and the Carrier reserve the right to withdraw and/or cancel a tour or to make changes in the itinerary and hotel accommodations whenever, in their sole judgment, the conditions warrant it. Thanks for trying - but I specifically said.. change a major PORT on the itinerary that is NOT due to any cause, such as weather, war, famine, strike etc... You just reiterated the safety protocol issue which does not apply when a major port change is made as is is on our itinerary. -

Melbourne is basically 1.5 hours car drive and roughly 1.1/4 hr train ride away from /Geelong. Not exactly close especially if on a cruise ship without an economical way to get there.. No tender.

Would someone please show me where it specifically says Viking can change a major PORT on the itinerary that is NOT due to any cause, such as weather, war, famine, stick etc. months prior to the cruise beginning! I know there is a caveat stating excursions may not all be offered and subject to change, but cannot find anything that says a port can be changed (unless for circumstances beyond control) . To change from a 15 hour port visit in MELBOURNE to GEELONG is totally unacceptable, especially when Melbourne is one of the highlight ports of the tour.

Not true - I have been using private messages for years! In 2016 we established a group of 40 people thru our roll call and set up many pre-cruise dinners and private tours. Same was done in 2019 with an Asia cruise and established a group of 50! Now it seems cc is forcing us to disclose private information to connect to people! This is ridiculous!

Correct ~ Ok ~ enough of this ... let's think happy thoughts and start making an excursion list!

Yes and the caveat is you must read the fine print on the insurance. Many have added a provision that bankruptcy or insolvency is not covered!, Chase sapphire recently added that exclusion to their trip insurance. City Bank dropped their travel insurance trip cancellation/interruption years ago.

Getting disgusted booked this cruise date to be able to arrange NYE in Sydney - that option sold old very fast and Viking no help in even suggesting the possibility of a waiting list , the other reason we booked this ship instead of others is that it was going to Melbourne ! It DOES NOT GO TO MELBOURNE ! We go to Geelong !!!! We are there 8am-11pm! Taking a train is a possibility but the logistics of figuring all that out is not part of the experience I wanted, let alone the expense. I wanted to experience Melbourne, especially food tours, and nightlife. This is a BIG Asterick that should have been on our itinerary when this date was was one that could be selected. This is not an itinerary change~ the ports are booked at least 2 years in advance! NZ to Sydney ports in Melbourne!!

Hi fellow cruisers. Has anyone looked at all the excursions being offered and the prices. I am very disappointed that a few of the tours I wanted to take are not listed, however they were listed in the list of optional excursions... I know it always says excursions are subject to change ... Booooo MELBOURNE CULINARY JOURNEY DURATION: 5 HOURS 30 MINUTES ANCESTRAL LANDS OF THE MĀORI DURATION: 8 HOURS This is very similar to what Robin did on GMA and covers a lot of the area and culture - I am looking to other guarantee return to ship tour companies to see what is available. We have done this on other Viking Ocean, Windstar, Princess etc and had a great time (saved some money met others on the ship and actually had better tours than ships offered). Does anyone know how to determine where we dock - especially for Melbourne - since we will be there until 11 PM! Is nightlife even possible?

" Vendors " in the UK and EU countries also pay credit card fees. They don't charge the customer like they do in the US! And they are not allowed to give discounts for paying in cash. Consumer protections are much better in the UK and EU countries than in the US.

This is great information ~ If you are taking a cruise Australia to New Zealand with pre Australia and Post New Zealand land trips - various cruise sites give you a link to a company that charges hundreds of dollars for a service to do this for you! GenVisa charges $246 per person! Ridiculous -You can do it yourself on the Australian and New Zealand app for $67 per person!

Interesting topic ~ putting in my 2 - don't know if it is true but fellow European travelers on Viking Polaris told me that in the UK and other countries, cruise companies are not allowed to charge less for cash than for credit cards (ie. Viking gives a substantial discount for ACH direct payments). Also they must keep a huge percentage of passenger funds available until the ship actually sales, which results in their inability to use the funds for future builds and investors. In the US they can charge big credit card fees, give cash discounts and use the money for future builds and debt payments. They also said their full payment schedule is not 12 months or more out. And they get better full payment refunds on cancellations, and more cash rather than future cruise credits as we do in the U.S.

Viking Expedition ships operate the great lakes also

You are NOT being cheap. Viking is the worst! Of course it is whatever the market will bear and as long as they "frighten" the US consumer with the price will go up or yo will not get this great offer later or cruises are sold out, they will continue to get their money up front so you will lose a tremendous amount if you cancel. River cruises to France are a dime a dozen. April is a very popular time weather wise, but look elsewhere. And as a side note, for cancelation policies and final payments you cannot compare Holland America or any other large cruse ships with river and small ocean size ships. The large ships can easily fill canceled reservations , many times people will pay a premium for a last minute trip

I think you should double check that. Usually lines make you cancel and rebook ~ you face cancelation charges and you' re not allowed to add an additional person to an existing reservation.

Of course to pay to upgrade per glass of wine is available to all.. It is so nice to just buy the package and not worry about paying more each time. If you are one who enjoys cockails before and after dinner, mimosas during your massage, better wine pairings with your chef's dinner, wine during your cooking classes etc, just buy the package ~ if you are spending quite a bit for these trips , the extra amount shouldn't break the bank.

I must say - if they didn't have a bottle of dark rum and you were in the Caribbean why didn't you just buy one and bring it on board! It's allowed and so such an inexpensive solution!

French Polynesia` WINDSTAR!!!!!

Look at Scenic - room substantially bigger ,beer, wine and cocktails are included all day not just beer and wine with lunch dinner, gratuities are also included, and of course an included excusion per port.