Twitchly

Ok, back to the story. After lunch we are to be taken to the "Reunification Palace" aka the former US Embassy. On the way there our tour guide showed the iconic photo of the last helicopter out of Saigon on the roof saying "this is when we won". More about our young guide (born in 1995 as he told us). Almost from the beginning he touted the party line. Referring to the way the Americans (and French before us to be fair) had mistreated the people of Viet Nam. Numerous references were made to the bombings, to Agent Orange, and what the Vietnamese people have overcome. Obviously the only things he knows were learned in school as he is too young to have experienced any of the bad things that did happen. An extensive description of their flag being "red of the blood of our people" and other tid bits of info continued.

Hoo boy. That must’ve been fun for everyone. Given Viking’s demographic, there could easily have been Viet Nam vets on board, too. How nice for them.

If Viet Nam wants tourist money, they might want to rethink their propaganda. Or do a better job vetting their tour guides.

All our issues to date have involved the shore excursions, especially the included excursions. Very poorly done imho. Most towns have 4 or 5 options for excursions. That is simply not enough for 900 people. You just cannot expect a good experience with 4,5,6 or more bus loads traveling with you. More options and fewer people on each excursion would help immensely. .

This is good info, and I hope Viking takes it to heart. Their marketing is all about getting to know the countries they visit (which is the main reason we booked them), so the excursions are critical.

For all you experienced Viking cruisers, is it typical for most excursions to have multiple Viking busloads go at the same time? What about included vs. optional — does the latter usually have just one busload? Or more?

How about:

- Viking Aurora or Viking Borealis (in honor of the Northern Lights)

- Viking Valhalla

- Viking Scream (sorry; still thinking about those Munch Moments [emoji33] )

https://www.vikingcruises.com/oceans/email/munchmoments.html

I’m trying to imagine relaxing with a drink in the lovely atrium while looking at a massive digital version of “The Scream.” (Or many of Munch’s other bleak works.) Maybe Viking has filtered out the darker pieces? Or do most folks find giant portraits of despair to add a certain je ne sais quoi to the cruise experience?

I know he’s talented and Norwegian but ... really?

I have horrible feet, so it’s lucky I married a podiatrist! :) I have to find shoes and sandals that will accept my orthotics. Sneakers aren’t a problem (I wear New Balance 990s everywhere), but sandals are tough. I finally found a brand I can wear: Finn Comfort. Only certain styles, and they’re not cheap, but for me they’re pretty much the only game in town. I don’t need my own orthotics in these since theirs do the job. I replace their inserts annually as they wear down.

Thank you!

Stretchcruz, would you mind posting a link to her blog? Maybe it would be helpful to my friend.

I have a dear friend who loves what she has heard about Viking Ocean cruises but wonders if she would fit in as a single woman. She would probably be traveling alone. What is the situation for single folks on Viking? Are there any? Or would she just be surrounded by couples?

Sunbrookgal, please thank your husband for me. I appreciate his taking the time to do that!

The main thing I want to avoid is the canned pop music. Piano, jazz, classical, especially live — those I can usually either enjoy or tune out. Conversation is fine. And the birdsong in the restrooms sounds delightful. But pop music is a very individual taste, in my experience; one woman’s nectar is another one’s poison. To me, the insipid “soft rock” one hears everywhere is what they play in one of Dante’s circles of hell.

I do recognize that many people enjoy a wall of sound and find a lack of background music boring or disturbing. Canned music is pretty much unavoidable in public spaces now, so I assume I’m in a minority. I’ll be grateful for any Muzak-free spots we can find on the ship. And of course there’s always the cabin.

It plays havoc with the a/c & ventilation systems in the rooms around you .

Really? I wonder why?

That’s disappointing. I was hoping to leave it open at night for fresh air and the sound of the ocean.

Do not leave the balcony door open at night!;p:halo:

Why? (Genuine question; I’m a newbie to cruising and was planning to do this on our cruise next month.)

Obviously won’t work for the whole cruise, but getting into the pool stopped my motion sickness. Your brain and body expect to be moving about in water.

That’s fascinating.

I’ve been on only one cruise long ago and didn’t have any problems, but the seas were so calm I barely felt like we were moving. I’m reading this thread with interest before our cruise next month, since I doubt we’ll be that lucky again. I’m bringing ginger and sea bands (though I find them pretty uncomfortable) just in case. And now I’ll be sure to bring a swimsuit, too!

I am impressed with those of you who suffer from seasickness but continue to be avid cruisers. That speaks to the powerful draw of cruising!

Do the taxis take credit cards or will we need cash?

Kai Teck was the best airport. When you were landing, you could actually see the faces of the people who lived in the apartments beside the runway! And then the plane would screech to a stop just inches, it seemed, from falling into the bay. Definitely one of the more exciting landings (and take-offs) in any international airport. Those were the days! [emoji33]

Twitchly,

 

I have been contacted by personnel on board about your original post and responses. Will let you know what happens. Seems to be listening to our concerns.

Great! Let us know how it goes.

We had PV1 on the Star. It had a door and window. Some of the PV cabins had sliders instead. I asked our neighbor (retired Navy) about that and he told me it has to do with the ‘ships ribs’. It’s a structural thing. I cannot give you much more than that on specifics but when we were standing on a dock, he pointed them out for me and the visual made sense. As to how one knows prior to boarding which they will have, I do not know any answer to that piece.

Interesting! I thought it must be something structural like that. What was your cabin number, do you remember?

FYI, the singer at the event was Sissel.

She is a world famous soprano! I have three of her albums. She is a very big deal in music world.

Here is a song from one of her concerts, she dedicated to saliors she knew in Norway and on all ships.

 

Peace, over and out. :cool:

Wow, beautiful voice! She sang at the off-site dinner? Impressive.

I find the statement about loud music odd. Our experience on the Star in 2016 for Viking Homelands and the Sky just last January doesn't gibe with that at all. As I said - there are quiet spaces on board ship. I found them. But yes - on sea days - things could get loud such as around the Pool with special music set up but the Wintergarden doors were securely shut to keep the sound out. I remember playing innocent dumb when folks would wander in looking for a straight passageway to the pool and even tho I could see how those doors could be unlocked I would direct them back out the side doors. Anyway I simply don't recall music being piped in everywhere all the time. Maybe the other Viking ships operate differently. I can only speak for the ones I've been on.

Maybe it depends on the preferences of the crew. Some cultures love noise and dislike silence, thinking that noise=happiness and enjoyment. I found this in Asia, for example.

[rant] And I’m increasingly finding it in the US these days, where you can’t even fill up your gas tank without having to listen to commercials. Or shop without hearing a cacophony of different songs coming at you from various departments at the same time. [/rant]

Here’s hoping Viking bucks that trend. They’re supposed to be the anti-Vegas cruise line after all.

I sent a note to Viking this evening and included a link to this thread. Within a half hour, I got this response:

—

Thank you for reaching out to us with your request to have quiet spaces aboard Viking Sky.

We are in receipt of your e-mail, along with others who are expressing this same sentiment. We have forwarded your message to our team in charge of the onboard operations for review, and rest assured, we will follow up internally to discuss this inquiry.

Looking forward to welcoming you and [husband’s name] aboard in just a month!

Kind regards,

Cristina Farah I Viking Cruises I Community Specialist I (t)

—

Well, that’s hopeful! I’m impressed they responded so quickly. (And apparently looked up my cruise info, too.)

So here’s hoping they’ll have a word with their crews and we’ll get a few quiet places soon.

Where are the quieter spots on the ship (aside from one’s cabin)? I was watching a video someone made of themselves walking around the Sky, and I noticed piped-in music a lot of the time. (Throughout the Explorer lounges, for example, which were playing Jim Croce.) Are there any truly quiet public areas?

Hmm, strange.. Do you have a picture or link by chance? Will be interesting to see

Just found a shot of room 4019, and it does indeed have the sliding door, at least on the Star. I assume the Sky will be the same.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/viking-star-748/penthouse-veranda-cabin-205894/

I just checked the picture of the PV1 on Sky. It’s exactly the same as ours. The man on the picture is standing behind floor to ceiling window

Right. The promotional materials show that version. But other people’s shots of their PVs just have the sliding glass door. Most odd ...

We had PV1 6011 and we had combo - floor to ceiling window with couch next to it and the glass door. I enjoyed the view from the bed.

What ship were you on? We’ll be on the Sky. I wonder what determines which rooms have your arrangement vs. the sliding door ...

Since we’re talking about PVs ... in some pictures, I see a sliding glass door. In others, I see what looks like a standard glass door plus a window. I assume there are two different “flavors” of PV? We’re going to be in 4019, and I was just curious as to which it might be. I’m rather hoping it’s the door/window combo, since that one allows you to look outside from the couch.

But with Cannon you do get more bang for your buck.

I recently got the new G1X mark III and am very pleased with it. I love my big Nikon DSLR with clunky zoom but got tired of lugging it around on vacations. The little G1X III is like having a mini-DSLR in your (coat) pocket. Very freeing.

Cyber Kat, do you have a link to the other conversation about the ceremony?