Twitchly

4 hours ago, cruz_happy said:

We are getting ready to embark on our first Viking cruise.  (It's a river cruise and never been on one although we are experienced cruisers.). Can people wear what I call "dress" t-shirts (ok, sort of an oxymoron; these are nicer ones that have college name or other nice things, e.g., Hawaii, nothing offensive at all) during the day ONLY on the ship?  Can you wear these on shore excursions on Danube river cruise (excluding if going to a cathedral)?  I know I saw a guide before but I cannot seem to find it now. TYIA.

On Ocean ships, daytime clothing can be casual. T-shirts, shorts, fine. It’s just in the evening at three of the four restaurants that things get a bit more formal — collared shirts for men, etc. 

No idea about River ships, but I’ve heard they’re a bit more casual than Ocean. 

2 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

Cakes and cookies all day long in the Living Room Bar, Deck 1 in the Atrium.  

*Now* I find this out.

5 hours ago, LindaS272 said:

Heard a wonderful violinist this evening—a destination performance by Tor Jaran Apold in “Norwegian Songbook—The Unforgettable Music of My Childhood.” Several Edvard Grieg numbers.

He’s marvelous! Love the destination performances.

2 hours ago, May B said:

Actually, near the end of our first Viking Ocean last week, Mr B and I compared our Crystal experiences with our Viking Jupiter. We ended in a disagreement! Mr B gives the edge to Viking, while I give it to OC. We have two new Crystal booked, followed by a Viking Saturn in Dec. 2024. By then, we’ll REALLY be able to compare.

Would you be willing to share your thoughts on the two cruise lines? And his? 

1 hour ago, Myrtle Ave. Mayhem said:

 

What a fabulous photo!! Thanks for sharing it. I love vintage cruise shots. Another world. 

11 hours ago, DGHOC said:

As ever, your positivity shines through!

My thoughts exactly. 

17 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

Regarding onboard culture, we really didn't find all that much of a difference.

Good to know. Your review was helpful; thanks.

I’d be interested in hearing about dress as well. In particular, do O or Seabourn have formal evenings? That might be a dealbreaker for us unless they’re easily avoidable.

Looking forward to hearing comparisons from those who have cruised Viking plus Seabourn or Oceania. The onboard culture is something I’m particularly interested in hearing about. We fit very well into Viking’s culture; curious how the others compare.

1 hour ago, wine-wine-wine said:

DW has visited Egypt twice, I have only been once. Very intense, very amazing. Needed a vacation afterwards. 

This is exactly how we felt about our recent land tour to Israel/Palestine/Jordan. Like trying to drink from a fire hose. 

8 hours ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

A tote bag isn't practical for me, and I've never missed having one.

We use them for groceries. (Maybe that’s one reason Viking doesn’t offer them. I’m guessing Kroger’s isn’t quite the association they’re looking for.)

On 6/27/2023 at 1:43 PM, Clay Clayton said:

So for us it was a no brainer-$1000 in onboard credits or $420 from our pocket for gratuities.  

Wow. Neither of our travel agents offered anything close to those numbers. 

10 hours ago, Hobson1754 said:

Totally agree with you & less to think about e.g. ‘does this top go with these trousers’!!😏

Another way to handle that is to bring black pants. (Or another neutral.) No need to wonder about pairing. 
 

We have taken cool-weather cruises so far. For the second cruise, we decided to just bring carry-ons because of all the luggage problems the airlines were having. So I left the jeans at home and just brought black knit pants. They went with everything and were wearable in all the restaurants. And they didn’t show dirt, a major plus for a mess like me! 

2 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

I see our Travel Agent simply as a booking agent who gives us a reward (in our case the maximum onboard credit that Viking allows).

That was the main (only) benefit of our TA experience. Does anyone know if you can get a credit when dealing directly with a Viking?

14 hours ago, Frenchberet said:

Orion and Jupiter.  We attended a couple of the presentations on Orion and thought they were worthwhile.  We were doing the New Zealand and Australia cruise and wished the films would have been more site-specific.

That reminds me of another activity offered on one of our cruises: nighttime star-gazing on the top deck with an astronomer. He was one of the visiting lecturers. 

7 hours ago, purpleally said:

If you don’t know what benefit, you have the wrong TA

I’m sure that’s true. We’ve tried two TAs and had two misses so far. I’m starting to feel like Charlie Brown and the football. At some point you have to know when to say “enough.” Fortunately booking a cruise vacation isn’t exactly complicated. 

3 hours ago, Mackdogmolly said:

 

So I should bring my tote from a competing cruise line? 😂

That might be one way to convince Viking to start providing them!

4 minutes ago, SantaFe1 said:

The duvet is really very pleasant and comfortable.  However, I have asked for those toppers, because I find the beds too hard, but have never gotten one.  

That’s a bummer. We found the beds too hard, too, but didn’t know about the toppers at the time. I was looking forward to getting one next time we sail. 

On our cruise last fall, there were trivia games and “name that tune” games in the Explorer Lounge. Not heavily attended. 
 

On another cruise I attended a class on different ways to tie a scarf. Scintillating stuff.
 

Viking onboard life is pretty quiet overall. We like that about it. 

2 minutes ago, Mackdogmolly said:

A top sheet isn’t standard?

The beds have duvets, no top sheets. (I think this is more typical in Europe, though it’s also what we do in our house.) The duvet cover gets washed with the sheets. 
 

I should add this was on our cooler-weather cruises. Haven’t been on a warm-weather Viking cruise, so I don’t know if they differ. 
 

As mentioned above, if you want a top sheet, just ask. Ditto for a mattress topper if you find the bed too hard.

On 6/16/2023 at 11:00 PM, duquephart said:

Grass fed/grazed vs. feed lot grain fed.

Hmm. We see a lot of grass-fed pastured beef in restaurants these days, and that’s also what we buy for home. Is this all that’s available in NZ? No grain-fed feed lots? If so, good for them.

I wonder how the price differs. I know we pay more for pastured beef.
 

Genuine question: do service dogs ever need to be on chairs in public spaces? I get that they might sometimes need to be on chairs at home. But in restaurants or public lounges? 

2 hours ago, rosewood jo said:

Here’s what on the website back in Dec when I bought the pre extention

 

Panoramic downtown Milwaukee?

3 hours ago, Clay Clayton said:

The ice trays should be in quotation marks. They are cellophane bags that we found while living nomadically in Europe.

I think I need to know more about these. 

1 minute ago, CDNPolar said:

 

Let's not underestimate how many cruise. ship guests do not wash their hands leaving the bathroom and are responsible for spreading this.  Let't not assume that this is the staff.

not to worry. I’m not assuming anything. Just pointing out that statistics don’t always tell the whole story.

14 minutes ago, jasardeax said:

In India our guide and several travelers used PERENTEROL

They said it was very effective. 

We purchased some, but fortunately, didn’t need to use it. 

I believe that is a probiotic made from yeast.