jiminyC_fan

I can tell you how much I love this post. How wonderful for you!

With such short notice, people had very little time to take any meds (if they wanted) and have time for them to become effective. ;p

.

Exact reason why we take it whether or not we need it. We take meclizine everyday without complications. It paid off years ago on a DCL Panama cruise when Hurricane Hilary suddenly changed it's course and we rode out some pretty high waves. Our friends were sick and so were many of the crew and passengers. My husband and I had a great time riding the waves because we were prepared.

I like the last paragraph - "just shy of ultimate luxury - no butler", "luxury without pretense", and "benefits of luxury without having to dress up for it". Indeed - yessiree - my kind of cruise line. [emoji16]

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our's too!

I agree with the others. You can't fault Viking. That's standard business practice for most companies. Don't look back but continue forward.

We took the Grand Tour with Alla and had 12 in our van, I guess for a little less than you did, according to your statement. The sit down meal was wonderful and the provided box lunch was provided during transit so we could see more and not be left behind after the ship sailed. That was certainly not any part of the equation.

We had 6 in our van with Alla. We did not take a private tour. It was simply how many people signed up. We thoroughly enjoyed the sit down meal and actually the box lunch was great. Our van fell in love with the chocolate that they provided. We would not have changed either one because we got to experience different types of food plus the box meal allowed us more touring time.

I love that Viking allows the staff to mingle off ship when cruising. We made a lifetime friend from our river cruise. We stay in contact via Facebook. She calls us Mama and Papa.

I am still pretty new to cruising, so I am not sure if I understand this. Would this be something the original poster would expect to pay a fee to obtain? Viking does not pack lunches for guests taking their own excursions, why would they do so for people off on their own? On our one cruise, Viking's crew went above and beyond, but is this a reasonable request?

 

Again, not expressing criticism, just asking what is acceptable. Taking food from the buffet to take off the ship feels like the not allowed taking food away from a land based restaurant buffet. But on the other hand, if you are on the ship at lunch time, they certainly do feed you. What is the usual cruise etiquette?

lackcreativity, I have to admit that I was thinking the same thoughts as you. 900+ passengers. Packing lunches for private tours. Reasonable request?

We actually love grabbing a bite to eat in Port. I make it a mission to try local fare. It's part of the experience.

I don’t know if this applies to Scotland, but in many ports you can’t take food off the ship.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Good point!

Interesting. I wonder if they offer that service. I can't imagine packing lunches for guests who are touring on their own. Please, come back here and let us know what you find out.

 

And ditto my thank you on the great Bonine off brand tip. I was not aware of this!

You're welcome. Unfortunately, our daughter and grand kids need it in our mountains of CO. Those windy roads get them every time. I am never without it.

Meclizine is the active ingredient. Bonine is a brand name. For anyone interested, you can get a 100 tablet bottle on Amazon which is much cheaper than buying Bonine. I used to buy it at Target but it became too expensive for them to carry. Here is a link to it. I hope that I am allowed to post it. https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_14?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=travel+sickness+pills&sprefix=travel+sicknes%2Caps%2C268&crid=2SS86ZLCAISSV

Put everything in labeled envelopes in the safe & took out appropriate cash (minimal, tour guide, bus driver, postcards) for each country on the cruise.

Exactly how we did it. Each country had it's own bank envelope. We would swap it out at night. It was easy to keep track of each currency and was a fast grab when preparing for the next day. At the end of our cruise we took the leftovers to the bank and it made it easy on them as well.

We actually requested all small bills for every country but Russia before leaving for our Homelands cruise. We got them from our Wells Fargo Bank. It was easy. No wasting precious time in port looking for an ATM. I know there are fees and higher exchange rates but we think of that as part of the expense of traveling plus it saves us time and gives us peace of mind that we are ready for anything. They bought back any leftovers and we keep all Euros.

What about when you tip the tour guides and bus drivers? We always try to tip in the country’s currency. We feel uncomfortable tipping in US dollars since they then have to exchange it and probably pay an exchange fee.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I agree. We always tip in the country's currency . Personally, I think it is better for them. We ran out of NOK because the sky ride (forgot the name) In Bergen couldn't accept CC that day because their system was down. In fact, a couple stores were unable to as well. I felt really bad tipping in Bergen and Oslo. I can't remember if we tipped USD or Euros at that point.

Viking ships are designed to have all balcony cabins [emoji41]

 

We don’t cruise in anything but a balcony so Viking suits us just fine. If that’s not what you want there are plenty of other lines. Viking suits us to A Tee!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

(y)

So sorry that this mis-communication took place. However, if the final payment date is a concern, why didn't you ask? I always ask when it is, because different cruise lines and travel agents have different policies. The Viking payment policy is consistent for all customers, regardless of any price deal offered. The written request for the refund sounds normal. I don't understand why you were insisting on an expedited refund - five days is certainly reasonable, and you should have 30 days before the amount is even due on your credit card. I'm sure you believe your decision to cancel is justified, but you started your post by stating that you enjoy cruising. The Viking cruise we just completed is the best we have ever had - and we have been on more than 40 on a variety of cruise lines. Please take a deep breath and reconsider some time in the future. Life passes too quickly...

Beautifully stated.

DV with SSBP— no alcohol in minibar.

Nor can you request water or juice for minibar.

Only soda-which seems weird considering Viking’s demographic.

All boomers I know do not drink soda-diet or otherwise. Unless perhaps ginger beer for a mule.

 

If Viking wants to stay current I would think they would drop the soda and add some flavored sparkling water-Dasani or similar. Plus the option of juice in the minibar, especially if you have purchased upgraded beverage package.

Personally, I would be upset if they took away the soda. We are soda drinkers. It seems everywhere you travel the main emphasis is on coffee and alcohol. We don't drink it and never have. Guests can get coffee all day long for free but soda is only allowed free at meal time. A soda is nice to have as we sit out on the balcony relaxing after a heavy day of touring. I am sure that we are not alone.

Here are a couple of thoughts:

 

1. Reduces the class hierarchy thing a bit. It’s just nice to know that everyone can see daylight and enjoy fresh air in their rooms.

 

2. When people enjoy spending more time in their rooms, the public spaces are less busy.

I agree.

Thank you jiminyC_fan!

You betcha!

Unfortunately, they don't give any information on it. I guess time will tell!

I haven't read it yet but thought that I would provide the link. https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=8543

How do we treat the crew? Easy, as friends and not as staff to serve us.

Unfortunately, I don't have examples for you. I've toured cruise quarters for DCL and stay in contact with a different cast member from DCL. He is pretty tight lipped about their work like. He has been doing it for at least 10 years when we first met.

I have stayed in contact with a waitress from our River cruise who crossed over to Oceans. She actually told us that they treat their staff members well and much better than other lines that she worked for.

As usual - different strokes for different folks

 

We liked the food on both river and ocean, but ocean definitely has more variety. While Manfredi's was good, I preferred the Chef's Table experience. We did the Sweet & Salty, and thought it was very good - the diver scallops were fabulous. We shared a table at Manfredi's to get a time that suited us more. The couple that we shared with were great put they put us a table that would maybe be comfortable for 3 - 4 was a challenge - especially with the size of their plates!

 

As far as the meet goes, the temperature suited us. We found it to be more medium, but you could have asked for your preference once they brought it instead of not eating it. Our favorite restaurant team, would have taken care of that right away. They were always asking if everything was okay. I generally ordered dessert with the meal, but we saw plenty of people getting the menu again to choose dessert. Our waitstaff never insisted on it. I just usually know what I want, so it wasn't a problem. We were always asked if we wanted coffee. I always had a cappuccino and our favorite waiters always asked if I wanted it.

 

We loved the bread, but I wish they had more of a variety in the Restaurant. The bread in the World Cafe was awesome!

 

We ate breakfast and lunch at the World Cafe and enjoyed the food. I had wanted to try it for dinner, but we never did. We do like being waited on for dinner. We never tried the Pool Grill, but Mamsen's was good. They had open faced sandwiches for lunch - not a big variety - and the awesome Success Cake!

 

So you are all going to have to just experience it for yourselves and see what you think! :D

I agree with you on everything. We did eat at the Pool Grill and once we did, we went there often. I found their shrimp salad sandwich amazing.

We've been on CC at least 18 times and only encountered them once.