PlanoTim

Hey, Judi. In my experience with glacier excursions (but not dog sled), the tour provides overshoes that go over whatever shoes you have on. They sort of wrap around your ankles, zip up, and strap on. Here are ones like I have seen used. I don't believe we were given the option to just wear our own footwear. Perhaps it is possible. I hope that helps some. Tim

I've always liked the cinnamon rolls in the WC, so ooey goey. But on our recent Alaska cruise they were "different" and not nearly as good as usual. Their croissants are good and I like the pistachio bun from the Viking Bar (deck 1). The Lyonnaise potatoes in the WC are good but the hash browns are tooth-breakingly hard - no tender middle at all. The best location for breakfast...the Aquavit Terrace.

True, they pay them to the port, but they aren't charged separately to the passengers, so can't really be refunded. It's just a different paradigm that some (most) cruise lines, I think.

I don't believe Viking charges port fees, so there is nothing to refund.

We did it on our Alaska and the Inside Passage cruise on Viking Orion in early September. It was less interactive than our pre-COVID experiences, but still fun. I almost like the format we had this time better, where the chef did most of the cooking and we were able to help a little. Tim

My wife says she used US Dollars.

Hi, Liz. My wife and sisters really enjoyed the Emberá Indian Village excursion. Their guide was from that village and they thought the interaction with the people there was very informative. They had an opportunity to interact with the villagers and learn a bit about their life. I remember them remarking how they felt they connected with the children there. There was an opportunity for them to purchase some woven items. They enjoyed their time in the village and didn't feel it was exploitive.

We did the Panama Canal & Central America cruise aboard Viking Sky immediately before COVID. We had a really good time. I and my 3 brothers-in-law did the Panama Canal by Ferry excursion while our wives did the Emberá Indian Village visit. It was interesting to see the canal operation from a much smaller vessel. We left the ship (in Colon) for a very-early, pre-dawn motor coach ride to the Pacific end of the canal. We immediately boarded the boat and had a nice continental breakfast as we left the marina in the early rays of sunrise. The Viking passengers (less than one bus load) were the only ones on the multi-level boat and it could have easily held 4-6 times as many passengers. We went through the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks with a tanker ship. We spent most of our time in the outside spaces at the front and back of the boat. This allowed for a very up-close view of things. Traveling through the locks is rather slow going, so I wouldn’t exactly call it exciting, but it did allow us to see the operations from a nice point of view. We had a nice buffet lunch and there was a small cash bar and a few gift items for sale. After exiting the locks, we traveled through the canal to Gamboa, where we boarded another motor coach for a ride back to the ship. We all enjoyed the excursion, but agreed that our less-geeky wives may have been a bit board. The Sharks, Rays & and Island Getaway excursion in Belize was really fun. It was pretty much as described and the tour operator did a good job. The snorkeling with the sharks and rays is mostly in a sandy area, so there isn’t much to see other than the stars of the show. We did the included Tortuguero Canals excursion because our planned ATV Ride & Rain Forest Trek was canceled by the vendor. The canal excursion was just okay. It was fairly short, but we saw a crocodile, monkeys, and sloths. There were a number of bird sightings, too, but birds don’t do much for me. I hope that helps some. Tim

On all of our Viking cruises the Viking Band had two singers (a male and female) and a 4-piece band - drums, base, keyboard, and guitar. We have always thought they did a good job.

We’ve had plenty of times when we’ve had great Viking service. Here are a couple form our recent cruise. We were eating dinner in The Restaurant on the first night of our Alaska and the Inside Passage cruise. The menu didn’t have a chocolate dessert selection. My wife kidded the waiter that that shouldn’t be allowed. He said he would take care of her and she chose one of the non-chocolate options. When dessert came, she was severed what she had ordered and he also brought her a chocolate mousse (from room service?). There was another night or two that didn’t have chocolate and he brought her a chocolate option without being asked. The wine steward also had fun with my brother on this cruise. My brother prefers beer (Coors light) rather than wine and he was presented his beer bottle like it was a bottle of rare wine – draped on the sommelier’s arm for approval. I think he even gave my brother the cap to inspect and poured him a sample to taste. It was fun.

My wife and I sailed on Carnival Vista earlier this year. We had the lobster in the main dining room and it was very good - the best lobster we have had in 30 years of cruising. My wife is from Maine, so we are quite familiar with good lobster. Carnival Vista's lobster wasn't quite on par with the best lobster dishes we've had at home or in Maine, but it was very good.

If I were in your situation, I would purchase the lowest level Wi-Fi plan (or higher if you wish) and use WhatsApp or iMessage (if you have an iPhone) for initial contact. Then you can call back from your room at $1.99/minute or do a Wi-Fi call using your phone or via WhatsApp or turn off airplane mode and make a cell call. We were on Carnival Vista earlier this year and this worked for us. We had the Social Wi-Fi plan and were able to use WhatsApp to make a video call on a sea day.

It was a few days into our cruise before we saw the first destination menu. I think it was only on 2-3 nights that we noticed. My wife chose all the selections one night and had a crab cake, baked fish (halibut?), and a chocolate dessert. She said all three were good. I think another night had borscht on the destination menu (maybe the day we were supposed to go to Sitka?). We ate in the specialty dining rooms two nights, so the destination menu may have been offered those nights.

Depending on when you have your pre-dinner glass, it may be meal time already and the included wine would be available at no cost.

Here is the count of wines by the glass available on our Alaska and The Inside Passage cruise on Viking Orion a few weeks ago: Sparkling - 1 White - 13 Rose - 2 Red - 13 Port - 1 I hope that helps some. Tim

We did a pre-cruise extension in Vancouver, BC before our Alaska & The Inside Passage cruise a few weeks back. We were notified what hotel we were staying at exactly 1 year before our arrival date. Our air reservations were changed a number of times after the original flights were communicated. But the hotel did not change. Of course, your experience could be different. I hope that helps some. Tim

We sailed on Viking Orion (south-north) a couple of weeks ago. There was Alaskan king crab in the WC at least one night. We didn't dine there, but I heard mixed reviews on it. Grilled lobster and steak was offered one night in The Restaurant, as was lobster thermidor. There was a lobster or crab mac & cheese (I forget which) that was pretty good. I had it as an appetizer one night. The poached Norwegian salmon is always available, but that tastes like canned salmon to me. However, they are happy to grill a piece of salmon if you prefer. There was a seafood buffet on the aquavit terrace on the day we visited the Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay. They were grilling salmon, shrimp, and scallops to order. They called it a barbeque. Being from Texas, that isn't the term I would use. 😋 It looked nice, though. We didn't have any because the line was pretty long. We were traveling as a party of 8 and I believe everyone enjoyed the seafood they had. Sorry, I didn't capture any of the menus. Tim

I suggest you call Viking (the number is in MVJ) after the time that your cabin category can book dining reservations and arrange the private dining room. That is what we have done, The specialty dining room doesn't have any tables for a party larger than 6. They can probably put some 2- and 4-tops together, but the private room for a party of 8-12 is much better. Hope that helps. Tim

Speaking of the crew on board, we’ve had a crew member join us on many (but not all) of our non-included Viking excursions. We were told by the hotel manager that it served two purposes. First, it helped Viking keep tabs on the “quality” of the excursion that the tour operator was providing. The second benefit was that it served as a small reward for the crew member. Of course, the crew are typically younger than the passengers. We’ve been on excursions where the crew member was outgoing, fun, and an absolute blast to be with – the leader of the conga line around the catamaran. Others have not interacted with anyone at all and kept completely to themselves. So, there may be opportunities to interact with the younger crew on an excursion.

Thanks. I wasn't aware of the limits. ☹️ We're all getting together to do some cruise planning tomorrow. We'll have to see if the tellus@vikingcruises.com folks can help us out.

We have traveled as a party of 8 on two previous Viking cruises. We pretty much had our own table in The Restaurant and did two dinners in each of the specialty restaurants (in the private room) on both cruises. I think there was even one time when our table wasn't ready in the main dining room and they sent us to Manfredi's private room again. Oh, the sacrifices we made. 😁 I think on one of the cruises we called Viking when it was time to book our specialty dining (we were all in DV) and they booked one meal in the private room of each specialty right then. I'm hoping we have the same luck later this year on Viking Orion. And I hope all goes well for you once you board.

Thanks so much for the description. Are you sure you’re not talking about zipping around in a kayak? 😜 That sounds like a true challenge. I bet it is wild to zoom through a narrow channel at 30 knots. The proximity to shore must make it seem even faster. Looking forward to heading through there on Viking Orion the last day of August. Thanks! Tim

Thanks, Captain Andy, for the info you share with us here on CC. You mention the 16 knot tide that can happen at the Seymour Narrows. Is that just the tide coming into the Strait of Georgia or is there a similar tide going out? I know little about seamanship, but I would think transiting a narrow passage would be difficult going with a 16 knot tide as well. Am I all wet? Thanks, Tim

We got envelopes from a stack at guest services on Carnival Vista last month for our dining room staff and room steward. They earned the extra gratuity. Wilmer was the best Head Waiter we've had in decades. We had great service for the three meals we had in the MDR.

My wife and I sailed on Carnival Vista in mid-April. We ate in the MDR 3 times and the food and service were good every time. The lobster served the first elegant night was the best we have had at any MDR meal. The prime rib was very good too. I hope your meals are as good as ours were.