Cindy

On 2/26/2020 at 9:04 PM, Cindy said:

I’ll be anxious to hear your report. I’m trying to convince my husband we should switch to the 4 night tour. He’s concerned we won’t find enough to do in Bergen, but I’m out to prove him wrong!😂

1 hour ago, Capt_BJ said:

another vote for DIY on the train, or via nutshell. We've done both

 

last time via Nutshell we began at end of cruise in Bergen and stayed 2 additional nites.  The via Nutshell went to Oslo via train/bus/ferry/train/train spending one night in Flam arriving by ferry, then Flam rail to meet the Oslo train the next day. Then two nights in Oslo. (there is a company which will take your bags from Bergen to Oslo (or reverse) so you don't have to drag on the train/ferry if doing Nutshell . . .) Oslo // Bergen is a long ride!

 

'Thon' is sort of the Holiday Inn of Norway ... there's a bunch of Thon hotels in Oslo ... we stayed in Thon Terminus ... a short walk from 'central station'

We had a “chat” last night, and decided on Option 3, which is neither of the choices we had previously considered!😂 We’re going to DIY it for about a third of what it would cost through Viking...I can find very good uses for the extra money!

i think I jumped too fast at first because I knew it would be difficult to fly to Bergen from Houston without numerous plane changes, and I latched onto the Viking pre-cruise without thinking it through. I’ve rented apartments in Rome and Amsterdam, and gotten us from Venice to Ljubljana to Zagreb without anyone holding my hand, there’s no reason I can’t plan this one too! Truthfully, we will both be a lot happier if we can explore at our leisure, get off the beaten path, and avoid anything resembling a big bus!
 

We’re trying to decide whether we want to split it up with 2 nights in each city, or spend three nights in Oslo and then just one in Bergen since we overnight there after boarding. We’ve never been to Norway...any opinions? 

We were in the furthest aft Mini-Suite on the port side on Ruby Princess. We never heard any noise from below...it was a great cabin and I wouldn’t hesitate to choose it again.

2 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:

Ask me when I get back at the end of June. We are going to do the 2 nights in Oslo - Train - 2 nights in Bergen before we board in June 3. 😀 

I’ll be anxious to hear your report. I’m trying to convince my husband we should switch to the 4 night tour. He’s concerned we won’t find enough to do in Bergen, but I’m out to prove him wrong!😂

13 minutes ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Lurkers are always welcome but please, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask.

 

 

Perhaps, but that doesn't mean you can't squeeze another Viking cruise in before that.  There are some perks to doing so because you already have a cruise booked -- like pay in full 6 months prior instead of 12 months prior.

I wonder if they’ve changed their final payment policy? My invoice says payment is due in full on January 6, 2021, which is six months before my cruise.

i would love to take a Viking cruise before this one, but our calendar is pretty full, especially because my husband is still working and we have to watch his vacation days. We leave for Hawaii in six weeks — doing the Norwegian cruise to the four main islands for our 60th birthdays.🙂

Thanks, everybody! I appreciate your hints and tips since this is all new to me.

1 hour ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

Absolutely not. Once you leave your cabin, it does not matter if you are in the Owner's Suite or a V cabin, every one is treated with the same care and respect --and no one is competing for your tips. There are no restricted areas on the ship. No Suites only bars or pools.  There are no butlers on board, not even for the Owner's Suite. Everyone stands in line to be seated in The Restaurant --and yes, I have even seen the VP of Operations waiting his turn to be seated.

 

The only differences between a DV and a PV are the price, the size, the amenities and when you get to book your shorex and specialty reservations -- and this is all spelled out on the Viking website under the SHIPS tab. Service is the same whether you choose a DV or a PV -- mini-bar replenished daily, twice daily cleaning, carafes of drinking water replenished twice daily, etc.

 

P.S. We are doing IML in June, so come follow our roll call, and I will probably being doing a LIVE thread as well, so look for that here starting probably at the end of May.

I like that once you’re out of your cabin there’s not a “class distinction” on Viking. It’s become more and more prevalent on the big ships, and it really can create Some resentment as well as two completely different experiences.

i would love to lurk on your roll call, and I will follow your live thread too! Thanks for the invite!

50 minutes ago, Liz Masterson said:

I’m doing Vikings  2 nights in Oslo, train to Bergen, and 2 nights in a hotel in Bergen before we board the Sky on June 3. Same cruise and roll call that @Peregrina651 posted above. 😊

I can’t wait to hear about your experience!

Hi all! My husband and I have been on many cruises, and yesterday we booked our first ever with Viking! We’re both very excited, but unfortunately it’s almost 500 days away so I have a long time to obsess!

We are big aft fans, so we chose a DV1 cabin on Deck 4 — 4123 (we’ll be on the Viking Sun).Was that a good choice? For aft cabins, only Deck 3 and Deck 4 were available. My first instinct was to choose a cabin on Deck 5, but those were both reserved already.

There’s a slight chance I may upgrade us to a Penthouse Verandah. Questions — Is there a noticeable difference in the experience and service between a DV and a PV? If we move, we will lose our prized aft view. Is there a “better” side of the ship for the Iceland’s Majestic Landscapes Itinerary sailing from Bergen to Reykjavik?

One more question — we’re going to fly to Oslo (much simpler from Houston) and take advantage of the pre-cruise hotel and scenic train to Bergen through Viking. We usually make our own arrangements, but thought the train sounded like a great way to get from Oslo to Bergen. Does anyone have experience with the train trip?

Thanks! I’m glad to be here and I’m looking forward to planning this trip!

58 minutes ago, bluesea321 said:

A good detailed article (and free) describing the current US passenger situation:

 

"Lawrence Gostin, a professor of global health law at Georgetown University, said the inconsistent treatment of the Americans who were on the ship put them at greater risk and threatens to expose more people to infection. We’re trying to stop the spread of a novel, emerging disease that could turn into a global pandemic. We know how to do this. Yet Gostin, who's also director of the World Health Organization's center on public health law, said the response to the Diamond Princess crisis was virtually medieval. Gostin faults Princess Cruises for keeping the passengers on board a ship that was not designed to contain an infection. He faults the Japanese government for allowing passengers to disembark without a quarantine. And he said U.S. officials erred by putting the 14 Americans who tested positive on two evacuation planes with others who had tested negative. It was a comedy of errors, he said."

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2020/02/21/coronavirus-americans-limbo-post-diamond-princess-cruise-ship-quarantine/4818075002/

 

I wonder how he would have recommended Princess disembark passengers when the Japanese government said the ship was quarantined and all had to remain aboard?

On 2/18/2020 at 8:22 PM, Veerraj said:

I am here, I didnt run away. I just returned from finishing 2 shifts. I work double shifts as I am a single income earner of a family of 6. I sincerely hope that Princess does refund me. I mean I worked double shifts to be able to book this trip for my family and I dont know about others of you on this forum but living pay cheque to pay cheque isnt easy. It took me 4 years to save up for this trip. I hope you guys can understand the distress this has been for me. I have lost money in hotel cancellation as well. Saving every penny has been difficult. If I had the luxury to afford for travel cancallation insurance I would have but if you look at my situation, things dont come easy. When you are the single income earner, you try and save every penny.  I hope you guys on this forum as well as Princess Crusies.

Travel insurance isn’t a luxury — it needs to be considered part of the cost of a luxury vacation. I know this sounds uncaring, but if you can’t afford the insurance then you really can’t afford the trip. I am fortunate in that I could absorb the cost of an unexpected cancellation (even though I wouldn’t want to!). What I couldn’t afford is the cost of a medical emergency overseas — a medical crisis or serious accident requiring surgery, evacuation, and repatriation could run into the tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. For that reason I often pay an up-charge to make our travel insurance our primary coverage so that the travel insurance would pay without us having to pay out of pocket and then file with our regular insurance company first.

On 2/19/2020 at 11:30 PM, Veerraj said:

I hope they refund you the money in full in light of the situation of coronavirus. If they don't refund you outright cash then Princess wont only lose you but many other customers, this includes existing and new customers as well. Princess has disappointed as well. I do hope that I get full refund as well as per their announcement. That being said, I was insulted by how the Princess Agent treated me. My flight was scheduled from Beijing to Singapore for March 12 sailing. The agent kept saying,  that you need to rebook a flight at your own expense through a non China route. This would have meant additional $350 to $400 in costs.  The agent kept pressuring me into not cancelling saying that, I will lose more money if I do so. This was unacceptable. It felt like all they cared for was my money.  Iam lucky that Air China understood to my situation and refunded me. I am also glad that I didnt book another flight. In the end I might get the refund but Iam disappointed at Hugh Forty the Princess agent and how they treated me through out the whole process.

Since you cancelled before Princess cancelled your cruise, the agent was correct in his advice. The phone agents aren’t authorized to deviate from the policy. This is all new and sudden — it takes time to look at all the options and get things in place. Fortunately for you Princess is going to offer a compensation package for people like you who cancelled on or after January 20. This is unprecedented, and I’m sorry you think it’s OK to publicly name/shame a Princess rep who was just performing his job.

I’m a cruise fan and follow several lines on Facebook. Every day there’s a complaint from someone who had (fill in the blank) emergency and is angry because the cruise line won’t allow a date change or a cancellation. All those people think they should be the exception to the policy, and they make a scene when they’re not.  I hope you get your money back, but I also hope you learned something from this experience. All cruise lines have very similar cancellation policies. Whether you agree with them or not, you have to accept them in order to cruise. If you can’t afford to self-insure (lose the cost of the trip) because of a cancellation then you can’t afford the cruise. 

6 hours ago, caribill said:

 

This seems to imply that the materials they are made of could harbor the virus even with extensive laundering.

 

What does that say about all the passengers' clothing that they brought home with them? Should they all be thrown out?

 

Or is replacing all the linens and towels more a public relations thing instead of really being necessary?

To me it’s a matter of perception. Nothing says clean like brand new linens...no stains, no frayed edges or holes. Just brand new, bright white sheets and towels.

Knowing how people freak out about maintenance if they see so much as a loose thread this is probably a smart move. 

No, I don’t think you should get the reimbursement instead of the FCC because of what happened on the Diamond Princess. The actions of the Japanese government and the quarantine of the Diamond Princess have no bearing on your cruise in the Caribbean. 

You can certainly choose not to use your FCC, but refusing to cruise on Princess because of the Coronavirus situation in Japan doesn’t exempt you from the contract you agreed to.

I don’t think your request is reasonable at all.

1 hour ago, glam mistress said:

Here is some tragic news - two DP passengers have died. 

 

 

That is terrible news.😢

Fantastic review! Thanks for sharing!

10 hours ago, icat2000 said:

https://twitter.com/mjswhitebread Matthew Smith who is also on the Diamond Princess in an inside cabin is a great read if your interested in what life is like cooped up in an inside cabin.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing! I enjoyed reading his updates.

From the pictures, Matthew appears to be in a full suite.

2 hours ago, Mrs CruisinCritter said:

Japan is barring the Westerdam because they are stating that there are presumed or suspected cases of coronavirus onboard the ship. 
 

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20200201/p2g/00m/0na/006000c

According to the most recent HAL update, they do not have any confirmed or suspected cases of Corona Virus on board:

Westerdam Update:
Westerdam is currently sailing on a southwesterly course off the coast of Taiwan to best position the ship to access potential port locations where we can disembark our guests.  We are evaluating several options and working with different governments for a swift resolution. 
 
Guests on board continue to be safe and well cared for. The ship is not in quarantine and we have no reason to believe there are any cases of coronavirus on board despite media reports. The ship has sufficient fuel and food provisions to last until the end of the voyage. We are providing free internet and phone access for guests and crew to stay in contact with their loved ones. Guests have been provided a full refund and a future cruise credit.
 
This is a very dynamic situation as we continue to manage around evolving and changing restrictions in the region. We sincerely thank our guests and crew on Westerdam — and their loved ones — for their patience during this extraordinary time.
 
The latest information will continue to be posted under the News & Travel Advisory section of our website: http://*****/2va2gxX

We have an 8:00 flight. I made a reservation to tour the North Shore with a guide from Tours by Locals. We’ll be picked up at the ship and dropped off at the airport. Our luggage will stay with us for the day.

I don’t know what your budget is or what’s important to you, so it’s hard to answer your question.

We’re staying at Outrigger Reef for two nights before our cruise. We joined their loyalty club and got what I think is a reasonable rate on a concierge level room with a Diamond Head/Ocean view. I wanted to be on the beach with a view and a balcony, and have restaurants in walking distance. The club level room includes a daily happy hour and a hot breakfast.

On 11/17/2019 at 9:30 AM, crhunt01 said:

Thank you in advance for any advice! We are taking a NCL cruise in Hawaii in March and the shore excursion prices are pricey; when I add up what we want to do - one excursion per day - it's over $4,000, almost more than the cruise itself.  I can save some by booking tours through Viator or similar but that has its own headaches (namely transportation from the pier to the tour start, and just coordinating with a third party). 

 

So my questions are:

1. Is it worth trying to do some third-party tours to save money or is it not worth the angst?  If so, are there particular ports where it is easier than others?

 

While I've cruised seven times (including this exact itinerary as a teenager), it's always been with others who did the coordinating, so this is the first time the decisions have been all on me! I don't want to get it wrong.

I think it’s totally worth it — not only is booking independently a cost savings, you can usually have a better experience since you have control over the group size. I HATE big bus excursions, so I look for tours with a maximum of 10-12 people. I wouldn’t use Viator — I find it’s better to do the research (I love it!) and eliminate the middle man. I don’t like paying for a tour if I don’t know  who the provider will be.

16 hours ago, CHAMPDDS said:

My wife and I are on the POA March 14-21, 2020, and would love to hear what you find out or decide to do...we historically never use cruise line tours, and have always found independents more enjoyable and less expensive.

 

David

David, I did a lot of research for our April cruise and ended up booking a combination of completely private and small group tours. Since it’s just two of us traveling, we decided not to rent cars because we want it to be a vacation for both of us!

Maui — Unique Maui Tours is who we booked with for a private tour both days. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Valley Isle Excursions.

https://www.tourmaui.com

https://www.uniquemauitours.com

Hilo — Mauka Makai

https://maukamakaiadventures.com

Kona — Mauka Makai

https://maukamakaiadventures.com

Kauai — Tours by Locals and Wings Over Kauai

https://www.wingsoverkauai.com

For rental car car and route information, read Beachiekeen’s review on the NCL board. Her review is full of great information!

I think it’s fine. It’s a little annoying when you have more than one TV, but you can just let it run in the background while you do other things.

You might want to look at Mauka Makai and Ricky’s. Both are local companies that have excellent reviews and do tours of VNP. I understand why RCI/Celebrity made this decision, but I also think it is still possible to visit the park safely if you want to do it.

https://maukamakaiadventures.com

https://www.rickystourshawaii.com

1 hour ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

 

yes I agree. I as in Hawaii in 1980 and did four islands via tours and flying to each.  I also can't see taking cruises o and from Hawaii from Mainland and having a lot of time at sea unless I had the best group ever with me.

 

I am booked for June of 2021 and I am going for two weeks B2B.  I figure lots to do and provides good chance of nice weather over a two week time frame.

This ship looks really unique and a bit like ships of the past.  Love the staircase and layout.  

1 hour ago, Beachiekeen said:

Ahhhh, this sounds like heaven!  Hubby and I have already said we'd love to do a B2B on this cruise!  I am so jealous, enjoy!  🙂

 

Yeah, I like sea days but the other itineraries just do not appeal to me, although I have heard of one on the Jewel that adds Tahiti and that is something I would love to look into at some point!

I would love to do a B2B. It would be nice to be able to take things at a slower pace instead of going all out every day.

1 hour ago, lengel71 said:

I'm planning an anniversary cruise for 2022.  Those that have been on BOTH NCL & Royal Caribbean, which did you like the best and why?

I haven't been on NCL yet, but we're going on the POA in April and I'd be happy to report back if you're still trying to decide.

My husband and I wanted to be able to maximize our time on the islands without the many sea days that are required on all the other Hawaii itineraries. I don't expect this to be a typical cruise experience -- we're looking at it as our floating hotel that changes locations every couple days! I feel a little lost because NCL seems so different than my usual cruises, but I'm very excited. The itinerary is awesome with overnights in Maui and Kauai. We added a couple nights in Honolulu, and I think it's going to be a wonderful trip.

3 minutes ago, papa B me said:

Cindy,

Have a wonderful trip.  One of the best things about travel is obsessing about it ahead of time.  I tend to book my trips up to 2 years in advance so I have 5 on the books right now(more then I should have) which makes it nice so I can alternate which trip I'm obsessing about -lol.

 

Brian

For me, the planning is almost as much fun as the trip itself!😁

Do you remember what time the Na Pali coast sail-by ended?

What a fantastic review! I just found it this morning and read it all the way through.

Final payment for our April trip is due in 10 days, so I’m starting to obsess a little!☺️

Great information...thanks!

2 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

You can’t add another meal to your package. You have to either buy another package or pay for the extra meal.

 

You can specify which meals you use the package for. The staff will probably assume you want to use the package, but just tell them that you want to pay outside the package. To be sure they have done it correctly, make sure they bring you a bill to sign, that hasn’t been zeroed out.

Thanks, Keith!  I’m planning our first NCL cruise, and I’m trying to figure everything out!