Avery's Gram

Hi…we have used the Have It All package in the past and been pleased. But this time I will be sailing with my 10 year old granddaughter rather than another adult. How does HAL do this? Obviously HIA works best for an adult, who has at least a few adult beverages per day…..has anyone used it for a child? Or found any options which were offered? I’m not a big drinker, but find the HIA makes life easy and prevents any big surprises on my bill at the end. This is a convenience I am happy to pay a bit for, as my idea of a vacation is not thinking about the price of each choice. ( I know it is silly, and the money is not a big deal either way, but if each choice “adds up” on my bill…….well, I was raised by Depression era parents and it makes me uncomfortable. Prepaid, no stress for me!) Thanks for any info you can share! Barbara M. In NH

Thank you, that is very helpful…and I see you answered me twice, so even nicer. I have been enjoying your blog very much! This will be my first inside stateroom so not sure how I’ll like that, but my husband chose to stay home as this is a cruise with many fellow knitters. and I’m thinking time in the hydro pool might help relax all the sore muscles from touring. Barbara M. In NH

I’m curious about the hours the spa is open….could you tell me? I’m doing a very port intensive cruise in August and trying to figure out if there will be enough time to use it, to justify the cost. Thanks so much! Barbara M. In NH

Trying to decide whether to book a pass….can anyone tell me how late the spa hydro pool is open? Any other info would be welcome….this is a port intensive British Isles trip and wondering if the pass is worth it. Thanks! Barbara M. In NH

Someone here said Vancouver can be a bit of a mess…..understatement! Last fall, boarding there, our line came around a corner to a checkpoint and the woman ahead of us flashed her boarding pass and said imperiously. “I’m four star priority!” The agent replied, “Ma’am, I’m customs and immigration. Your stars don’t carry any weight with me.” We chuckled and waited politely for our turn, and didn’t tell the nice man that we were both 5 stars….. Barbara M. In NH

We’ve been frustrated trying to listen to the commentary from our balcony in Alaska. But next time I’m trying a tip from a friend…..bring a baby monitor along. Turn on the tv to commentary, set up the stationary monitor and take the other with you onto your balcony. We hope it works! Baby monitors did not come along until our grandkids, so I have no personal experience…..but I hear they solve the problem. We’re on the Noordam in September. Barbara M. In NH

“Dam dollars”. Were fun to collect for prizes, given for participating in activities. We miss the Piano Bar and the excellent players. We we’re always happy to find we were on a Jimmy Maddox cruise! Barbara M. In NH

It was Perth to Singapore……we enjoyed that trip….even the flights, Boston to Qatar, Qatar to Perth were not bad, and we spent two days recovering at Cottesloe, right across from the beautiful beach before we joined the ship. Beautiful memories! Barbara M. In NH

We were on the Viking Venus which was delayed for a couple of days because of bad weather. Our flight was originally Sunday night, Viking rescheduled it to Monday when the captain thought we could get there one day late and then rescheduled again when it was clear we would not be landing until Late Monday night and disembarking Tuesday morning. I was very glad Viking handled everything for us. Barbara M. In NH

I’m sorry, I misunderstood……I thought the complaint about no info came from someone on board now. Rereading, I see how I misinterpreted the complaint, and I apologize….. And I do understand the frustration. Lots of people are busy canceling private tours/ hotels, travel arrangements in Amsterdam or London, while we only need to worry about getting home in time for an impossible to reschedule medical appointment/ treatment on Wednesday. Our trip has been very relaxing and enjoyable, in spite of the weather, and we’ve been quite pleased with our first Viking Ocean trip.

We are on board and we’ve been very well informed…..the problem is that things keep changing. Yesterday the Captain announced we would be a day late into Tilbury, and Viking promptly changed our flight reservations for a day later, leaving Heathrow on the 13. This was followed up with a letter giving the same info as was reported verbally by the Captain. But today the weather has been brutal, and we moved very slowly for most of the day with pretty extensive rocking and rolling. The Captain’s update this afternoon said we would arrive at Tilbury very early on Tuesday, the 14. Anyone who says they have not been informed at all is incorrect….or at the very least, has not been listening to the updates. Barbara M.

Forgot to add…..Latest from the captain is we expect to dock on Monday.

Within 6 hours our flights were rescheduled….same flight with same good seats (premium economy as my husband is 6’4 and regular seats are really hard on long flights.), just a day later. it’s really been rough and slow today….the Restaurant was nearly empty for lunch today. we have not heard anything about what happens to the incoming group, just that “We will take it one day at a time, and safety is our priority.” Barbara M.

Our captain just announced we will not be in Tilbury on Sunday morning as the weather here is still very rough. We are very glad that we chose to let Viking make our flight plans for us, as now they are planning how to get us home. In the meantime, we are enjoying a lovely cruise….rough seas, but we’ve seen worse. And the ship is lovely and the service has been outstanding, so another day on board will not be too hard to take! we already knew we spent an extra day safely docked in Tromso, so Narvik and Amsterdam were canceled. Barbara M. Usually in NH

Thanks….just taken with my iPhone on night mode. No fancy photography stuff….but what I saw with my eyes was a lot duller than what the camera saw.

We are on this trip now…..I’d say waterproof is more important than heavy. We bought wonderful ponchos in Bergen and have found them perfect with a sweater and A light jacket underneath. We were lucky and saw the lights on our second night out, from our balcony. Bad weather is keeping us in Tromso for an extra day, and Narvik has been cancelled as well as Amsterdam. Barbara M. In NH

Checking back in to report no one even raised an eyebrow. Showed our ID and credit card, they took a photo, and we walked on….super easy. we are loving our first Viking ocean cruise…..

Thanks for the reassurance… we have had a bad medical diagnosis, a car accident and a refrigerator dying in the last few weeks. I do not usually let things like this slip so I was appalled to realize just now that I’d missed a deadline!

I have no problem not getting dining reservations, as that is not a big deal for us. We happily eat wherever, whenever. My issue is with the included shore excursions, which were almost all sold out when our cohort was allowed to book. I’m sure we will have a great time and enjoy our cruise, but paying extra for a shore excursion when I would have been satisfied with the “included, free “ one annoys me.

Life got out of control….we leave tomorrow for Bergen , joying the .Venus on Tuesday. I realized today I had missed the check in date and cannot complete the form. What kind of problems will this cause? Thanks for any information…we’ve done lots of other cruises, but his is our first Viking Ocean…

My rule is this: If I pack something and then do not wear it on my cruise, I cannot bring it home. It sounds silly, but it has prevented the too many pretty tops and extra shoes I used to pack, bring home and unpack without wearing. Barbara M. In NH

Thanks! I thought that was correct, but had a hard time believing it could be that simple. Life has been so complicated lately, it just seemed too easy!

We are leaving Boston next Friday for a Noordam cruise, 14 days, leaving and returning to Vancouver. Both fully vaccinated and boosted. I understand falling out ArriveCan before we travel, but not clear about filling it out again before our cruise. We have our appointments for Covid testing at 8:30 and 8:40am at the Pan Pacific on Sunday morning, but our embarkation time has been moved up to 10 AM. Does this leave us enough time to complete ArriveCan again? Or am I missing something completelY? Thanks for your help! Barbara M. In NH

I was quarantined for a full ten days in May, and have not yet heard anything about FCC being given. I haven’t asked yet, as there is no imminent cruise we’d like to take. I don’t even know who to contact….any suggestions? Barbara M. In NH

Could you please tell me who you called and where you’ve seen that your FCC has been posted? I was on QM2 and tested positive on May 21…spent ten days in isolation and have had no notice that any FCC has been issued…… Thanks for your help! Barbara M. In NH