Redtravel

If the port talk or entertainment ends close to the time the restaurant opens, you often will find a line. On riverboats, it happens daily. There is one seating. If you want dinner, you should be there when it opens. There is a mad dash to get into the dining room to get a table..no maitr’d . On river, the only option beside the restaurant is the forward lounge area. Nice for breakfast or a small meal. At dinner, most people eat in the restaurant. Miss dinner time, you may be hungry. On ocean, you are seated by a maitr’d . There is more seating and the dinner time is extended. On ocean, there are options…buffet, restaurant, room service, and specialty dining.

Be cautious. Avoid crowding. In Europe, hardly anyone wears. Asks. On Marina end of June, on.y saw a few people wearing masks. On planes, more people wore masks. I on,y wore a mask when sitting next to a stranger. Last year on a Celebrity cruise, my spouse got Covid. I haven’t had it. We both test often.

How about dv2 cabins on deck 5?

We will be on Mars. Do I need to bring an adapter?

I never used to care until my spouse had mobility issues. Works best if spouse’s side of bed is nearest the bathroom. When necessary we have switched sides. On one cruise, when the ship was in high seas, neither of us could stand up and walk around the bed. The person further away from the bathroom had to roll across the bed.

Induction loop works well with hearing aides. Viking has them if you request in advance. Just put in request for my next cruise.

so many complaints. While I prefer nonstop flights, Viking air with one connection is ok. Viking air will save you money. If it doesn't, book your own air and transfers. Often transfers can be costly. Just did an Oceania cruise using Oceania air....2 connections made for a very stressful trip.

Thanks. Ordered chargers from amazon today.

I know the ships have usb ports. Most of my devices use it. However, I just got new phone which uses a usc port for charging. Sailing on Mars soon. Does it have usc port connections?

When I looked for a better way to go from Bergen to Philadelphia, Viking choice was the only way that we could make the trip with one connection. While I am not thrilled with getting up early to make the 6:15 am flight, I will get to PHL faster than any other arrangement.

On one Viking trip, the extension was sold out. We were told that we could pay a deviation fee, and still use Viking air. We booked our own hotel and paid for a transfer. We stayed in a better location and saved $.

Booked Olife with air on my most recent cruise. Never again!

Bring your own insulated bottles. If you use the vero bottles, skip using ice. I didn’t take them home.

Spanish symphony was a great cruise. We were on the Legend. 20% off makes a great cruise even better.

Great review. Doing same cruise soon.

On my cruises before the pandemic, at night you seldom saw jeans at dinner. Fast forward a few years, when people stayed at home they dressed very casually. Resuming life outside home, people have continued to dress casually. I lived in jeans and shorts for 2+ years. My cruise attire stayed in the closet waiting for my next cruise. When I resumed cruising in June 2022, I packed my usual cruise clothes. I was shocked when I saw what people were wearing. Jeans were seen everywhere. My dressy clothing seemed out of place. In the past year, I have taken 4 cruises on 3 different lines. Some lines refused dinner service to people wearing shorts. Thinking about my next cruise on Viking, happy .to wear jeans

I like concierge. Cabins are in good locations. You get earlier access to specialty dining restaurants. Like the included laundry. Don’t like the spa deck. It’s too windy and doesn’t have drink service. Seldom use concierge lounge or ask concierge for info. the big question is are you willing to pay extra for concierge? It depends. For me, cabin location matters. If I can get a regular veranda cabin in a good location, I would not book concierge.

I buy yearly travel insurance. I don’t use it for missed ports. Your cruise contract allows missing ports or itinerary changes. I only make claims for major items like medical, missing baggage that doesn’t reappear, or missed flights.

Karlskrona isn’t much. Prefer staying onboard.

Talked to many people on the ship who booked Olife with air. Everyone had crazy connections to get home. Many had multiple connections like us. Before we left ship, we got email that our flights were being rebooked. Rebooked to what? Everyone we asked said that all possible flights were overbooked. We made it home , but not our luggage. We were in transit 24+ hours.

We flew in a day before a cruise. We visited Stonehenge. We hired a tour guide who picked us up at LHR, took us to Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral, and then took us to our hotel in Southampton. It was worth seeing. I don’t recall the name of the tour/ transfer guide.

When we were onboard in December, we booked a future cruise on Vista. Promo was very good. $200 off the fare and $200 OBC pp. We were on Marina in June, promo wasn’t as good. There were no lines waiting to book future cruises. Yesterday after we got home, I got email with the Simply More . I checked out the cost of the Vista cruise. Price was $700pp more. Since I don’t drink and usually book private excursions, Simply More isn’t attractive. Hope that O offers cruise only fares.

We were on the last cruise. We moved up a level. Got the letter stating that we would receive the pin, bag, and cap. Cap wasn’t there. We asked the Ambassador Natalya for it. Her response was that we got a letter instead of the caps. She seemed to think that a letter is an adequate substitute for the cap. She was extremely rude. Also, this was the 3rd time in a concierge cabin and no tote bag. Asked about that. Response was supply issues. Strangely I met people on the ship who said that they found the bag in their cabin. Natalya seemed put out that I had talked to other guests. Items like caps or totes that have the O name on it is good publicity. Not a big deal? My response was stop promising items that you don’t want to deliver.

Booked a Vista cruise 6 months ago cruise only. got $400 obc When I looked at Simply more, the price was $750pp more than when I booked. That was the no air option. We don't drink or seldom take ship excursions. Oceania ship excursions are often not good. I am guessing that our Vista cruise will be our last O cruise. Prices are too high. If people resist the new higher prices, you may see lower prices return. It's supply and demand.

It was excellent. Some of the flavors on this cruise are different than what we had in December. If the HS flavor has leftovers, it shows up at Waves Grill the next day.