hbtraveler

There is an exit to the Adriatic right at Chioggia. When we departed from there in June, we exited straight out. Venice is a considerable distance north of Chioggia. So no St Mark's Plaza sail by.

We paid most everything with a credit card, which was charged in Lira. For the handful of purchases with cash, we used Lira, although for things like tips for guides, I think they'll happily except Euros or US$.

We docked at Terminal A when we visited in June on Viking Sky.

I don't know if I'd call it interesting, but there is a fairly good size Coop in the main train station which is right next to the Thom Opera. Also a 7-11, which is actually a bit different from the 7-11s in the US.

Irregardless of what Viking does for onboard charges, I'd think you'd want to use the no foreign transaction fee card for any on-shore charges, since those would all have the fee otherwise.

When we stayed there a couple of years ago (if my memory is correct), the lobby entrance door which we used is on Olav Kyrres Gate.

On our business class flights on Lufthansa this summer, at LAX, they didn't weigh our carry-ons and didn't give us any hassle on the number of carry-ons. I had my roller plus my camera bag and my partner had a roller and a couple of smaller bags. On our flight from Istanbul to Frankfurt in business, I think they weighed my carry-on at checkin, but didn't require it to be checked even though it was a bit over the limit. On our connections in Frankfurt in both directions, they didn't check. The only flight where I was made to check my roller due to weigh was on a Turkish Air domestic economy flight from Capadoccia to Istanbul (they didn't check for the flight to Capadoccia).

Some pictures from my walkabout.

We departed from Chioggia on Viking Sky in June. It was about 45 minutes without traffic. However, when we traveled there, it was on the weekend and, apparently, Chioggia is a popular beach town. So there was a bit of a traffic backup. When we got to the ship on Saturday, there wasn't much of a crowd yet. The next day, I walked into the town and found it was a nice mini-Venice town with several canals. Since it was Sunday, not a lot was open, but there were some restaurants open and it looks like I just missed a street market. There weren't any crowds to speak of in the town and I found it quite pleasant after a couple of pre-cruise days in Venice. If Viking made it their permanent "Venice" home, that would not be a bad thing for the passengers other than the extra commuting time to get to and from Venice for any excursions.

Based on our trip this summer to Europe, I think a connection time of 2 hours minimum is needed for most big European airports. I can't speak for Lisbon, but at Frankfurt and Heathrow this summer, 1:30 wasn't adequate. While we managed to make both connecting flights, our checked luggage missed them. So that needs to be a consideration, beyond the usual passport control and (potentially) security lines.

From Istanbul to Cappadocia, it was a regular Turkish Airline A320/321 flight.

I believe it was the Turkish Airlines normal economy class restrictions (1 larger checked bag, 1 carry-on less than 8 kg, and a personal item). Viking did an interesting thing for the post-cruise extension. You could leave any bags that you didn't need on the extension and they would take and store the bags at the post-extension hotel in Istanbul, which worked great. Not sure if they would do the same for the pre-cruise extension, but that uncomplicates things quite a bit.

Hi. We did Cappadocia as a post cruise extension in early July. So the sequence may be a bit different for a pre-cruise trip. It was a packed 3 days but well worth it. We left the ship at 4:00 am to drive out to Istanbul airport, which is 45 minutes or more outside the main city, for our 6:45 am flight on Turkish Air to the small Nevşehir airport. Note that there are 2 security checks at Turkish airports, one to get into the terminal and a 2nd one after getting your boarding pass. We had 4 buses (at about 2/3 capacity) for all of the Viking folks. Once at Nevşehir, we drove to the Göreme Open Air Museum, which was our first stop. The guide took us to several of the churches built in the caves and we then had some free time at the sight. Back on the bus, we drove to the nearby Pasaba Valley with its fairy chimneys. After some brief introduction by the guide, we were free to wander amongst the chimneys. By this time, it was getting toward lunch. So we went to the town of Avanos for lunch. A decent "local" lunch. After lunch, we started toward the hotel, stopping at a couple places around Uçhisar, a pair of peaks filled with cave dwellings. A lot of the cave hotels are here, I think. We drove a while to our cave hotel, Kalsedon Cave Suites. It was located adjacent to a small town which didn't seem to have a lot in it. The hotel was nice enough, although our room wasn't actually in a cave. We had dinner here the first night after some rest time. Note that there is a fair amount of up and down walking to get to some of the rooms. So, if you have mobility issues, I'd try to request a room close to the lobby. With regard to balloon flights, Viking let us know a few days before arriving in Istanbul that an optional balloon flight would be available on the morning of the 2nd day. It was $290 per person. Since it was one of the top things to do in Cappadocia, we signed up, as did most of the people on the extension. Unfortunately, on the way to the hotel on Day 1, the guide informed us that, due to predicted high winds for the next morning, the balloon flights were cancelled. Needless to say that everyone was disappointed. But safety first. Viking said that they would refund the cancelled flights (although I'm still waiting for my refund). At least we got to sleep in. Day 2 started with breakfast at the hotel. A much more leisurely pace today as we then headed out to the Kaymakli Underground City. Early Christians used these caves to live in while hiding out from the groups that wanted to quash them. This underground city is 7 stories deep. You can go to the 2nd level and then exit, or go all the way down to the 7th level before heading up. Not for the claustrophobic or those with back or other walking issues. I went to the 2nd level before heading back. Like most sites, there are plenty of souvenir stalls around to keep you busy until the rest of the folks return. We then took a scenic ride to Ortahisar heading for a rug demonstration. As with most of the rug demos, they had a couple of the women show how they wove the carpet. Then there were beverages while the owner showed the various types of rugs. It is a low pressure sell. We found something we liked and, after the expected bargaining over the price, bought one (they really are quite lovely). If you are interested in a carpet, you may get a better price here than in Istanbul. After carpets, we headed to lunch in Uçhisar. Nice view. After lunch, we headed to Avanos for a pottery demo. It was quite interesting and they let one of us work on a pot. A visit to their showroom followed (really nice work if you are interested in ceramics). We finished up the day at Love Valley with more stone formations. We were supposed to stop in the valley, but the parking lot was jammed. The driver took us to an overlook and then went back down the road for a very slow drive-by of the formations. We then headed back to the hotel. For dinner that evening, we went to a restaurant that featured some folk dances from the various cultures that populate Turkey. Everyone seemed to enjoy it and more than a few joined in the dancing when asked to join (me included). Day 3 was another early start, leaving the hotel after breakfast at 6:45 am to catch an 8:30 am flight. Passed through 2 security checks (even at this small airport). They checked the weight of all bags, including carry-ons. Anything over 8 kg became checked baggage. After the 1 hour flight to Istanbul airport, we picked up the luggage and took a bus for the long drive to Istanbul. They took us on a driving tour of some of Istanbul (which they admitted was mostly killing time until our overnight hotel room was ready). I would think that, for a pre-cruise extension, they'd take you to the cruise terminal.

On our excursions, when we were in proximity to the ship or a Viking provided shuttle, we told the guide that we were going to walk back or take the shuttle and there was no problem. However, if you don’t get back to the ship on time, they may not wait. Then you would be responsible for getting to the next port. As long as you keep track of time and know when the last shuttle leaves, you should be fine.

I think you are right about a shortage of anti-virals due to the supply chain. I asked my doctor before we left on our trip if I could get a prescription of anti-virals before we left on our trip just in case and he said no. He said that they were generally reserving them for serious cases right now.

We are on the Ancient Adriatic Treasures cruise (Venice-Istanbul) embarking this Saturday (6/18) and just received a message from Viking that the departure point has changed. It was at the Fusina Cargo Terminal, with pickup at the old Cruise Terminal in Venice. Now, the ship is departing from the Chioggia Cruise Terminal at the south end of the Venice Lagoon, a 45-minute drive from Venice. The problem for us is that we are traveling independently right now. We’ll be ending our independent travel in Venice, 2 days before embarkation. We booked our hotel just a couple of blocks from the old Cruise Terminal. But, in calling Viking, because we traveled independently (although we booked the air through Viking Air), they claim that they will provide no shuttle from the original embarkation point to this new port. I’ve called my travel agent to find out what is going on, but Viking quoting contracts instead of providing customer service has got us both quite upset. Not the perfect way to start a cruise (or keep business).