Parsley Cruises
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On 7/5/2019 at 4:12 PM, Jim Avery said:
Cant speak to PV3 but in DV cabins they do not. You bring up a good point that has been mentioned to VO a number of times. I come from a maritime background and spent a number of years living on our boat. We had (as do most yachts) a nice coffee table that was a hi/lo table. Easily extended to normal table height for meals.
You could always opt for different items from the menu which wouldn't necessitate the use of a higher level table - or go to Mamsens.
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13 hours ago, cocopico said:
Almost my words exactly to the Viking rep! I wasn’t sure if I was getting generic feedback, or if the rep had looked into the issue specifically as it relates to this cruise. I think I’m going to stick with the Viking transfer but not make any other arrangements until we see what the situation is when we get there. Maybe there will be some other options. Taking lots of folks to the airport for a 10-hour wait just doesn’t seem reasonable. (We once had a transfer to the San Juan airport that got us there 5 hours before flight time. Not fun, but better than 10 hours!)
Last year we asked for a transfer to the airport as early as possible, but we do know that some US passengers asked for an airport transfer as late as possible, and I believe that we were all happy with the transfers which were arranged by the ship.
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11 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:
Wife was happy. He had more hands to deal with her luggage.
I thought that is what porters were for.
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On 7/3/2019 at 12:39 AM, orchestrapal said:
Agree completely, love the extras and of course the comfort of a large accommodation.
Just to clarify my rule: if there is no suitable space available on a particular cruise, we either look for a different date or a different itinerary. We don't work as such, so having been lucky enough to pretty much see the things we wish to see we are very flexible.
Not being stubborn, it's just that if we want a break away, then surely it's our responsibility to plan ahead wisely; and that's what we do.
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We fly business, for us it’s the cruise which matters most. Can’t be bothered with flying 1st - that’s a nonsense for us.
Then, when in port we just prefer to leave the ship and run. This is mainly because we’ve been most places, and if it’s safe, then there’s nothing like a good run.
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1 minute ago, Peregrina651 said:
Thank you. Studded tires, wow, I don't think I have driven with them in 50 years, although there have been some days when I wished I had had them. But, I don't expect it to be a worry in June.
I don’t think we’d like it in June. We prefer the start of the year, no later than March, or April at the latest.
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36 minutes ago, Hanoj said:
@Parsley Cruises, did you have a PJS or higher category stateroom? The free laundry service is not available for all cabin categories. We've only had PV1 cabins (free pressing and shoe shine, but not laundry) and considered a PJS on our recently concluded Med cruise, but decided we would continue with the PV1 (prefer midships to aft location on deck 5 or 6) and pay for laundry as needed.
36 minutes ago, Hanoj said:@Parsley Cruises, did you have a PJS or higher category stateroom? The free laundry service is not available for all cabin categories. We've only had PV1 cabins (free pressing and shoe shine, but not laundry) and considered a PJS on our recently concluded Med cruise, but decided we would continue with the PV1 (prefer midships to aft location on deck 5 or 6) and pay for laundry as needed.
We have a rule: no suite = no cruise. We don’t look for what other passengers do or don’t get. We just book a location of suite that appeals, and get on with it. We don’t go on holiday to go without; we just go to enjoy ourselves quietly.
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51 minutes ago, molymoo said:
Just discovered that two of our specialty restaurant reservations were “lost in translation”. We’re onboard and when checking our calendar we noticed that two of our reservations (1chefs table and 1manfredis) have disappeared! Nothing much available now so we’re out of luck. Somehow the system has us with restaurant reservations on the dates and times we had booked the others. The rep told us that that we likely did that by mistake ( what!?!)
We tried to explain to her that that wasn’t even possible so it had to be a system issue. Whatever the issue there’s really nothing to be done.
She had no idea how that might have happened but said we should have checked first thing. Guess we need to put that on the list of things to do!
We usually print out our reservations - check them first and then print them - as we feel that having evidence in print can't be beaten.
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8 minutes ago, Hanoj said:
Yes there is laundry service. We just concluded a cruise on the Star and prices are per item with a 50% surcharge if you want same day delivery. I had a set of pajamas washed and delivered the same day. It cost $5.25 (would have been $3.50). $3.50 per item delivered the next day was a common price (blouses, shirts) though a pair of socks was less. I'm not aware of a laundry package.
We made good use of the 'free' laundry and shoe shine service last time we were on Viking Sun, and hope it will be much the same for our next trip on Viking Star.
We simply put our laundry bag and shoes out daily, and it's a great service. So much so that we've decided we'd prefer an add-on pre-cruise, that way we head home after the cruise with all laundry done.
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I learned at an early stage that wherever I go in the world I do try and avoid the typical tourist bar, café or restaurant, and much prefer to use the facilities which the locals use. We've been to various parts of Iceland on several trips - and we don't find it particularly expensive.
The drive from Reykjavik to the airport at Keflavik is quite a distance, but on the other hand, the port is right in town.
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On 6/15/2019 at 2:51 PM, Peregrina651 said:
Re car rentals: are automatic transmissions available or just manual?
Both types of transmission are available. Depending on what time you visit, the tyres will have studs on them - it sounds strange at first, but one soon gets used to the noise.
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We're doing a cruise later this year, (Europe), and we've known from the time we booked it the name of the hotel. It doesn't say 'or similar'. With this information in hand we have already decided on our activities pre-cruise - depending on the weather, naturally.
Your pre-cruise is in a different part of the world, so hope your experience will be much the same as ours, and that you get to find out the name of your hotel as soon as possible. I wouldn't like it one bit if I was agreeing to pay in advance for an hotel which I wasn't given details of. Good luck.
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Having been able to access Bruges as and when we wanted when we lived in Belgium, I just don't know how they are going to restrict tourists - other than limiting or banning tourists on coaches.
We've always been able to get there either by train or by car. Most people on a cruise trying to get to Bruges would probably take the shuttle bus from Zeebrugge to Blankenberg (It's a short journey, so even a taxi wouldn't cost that much), and then from the shuttle bus drop off point it's a really short walk to the train station to go to (eg) Bruges.
Bruges itself might not like the restrictions - it feeds a lot of tourist businesses - so just like Venice, it's a case of wait and see. However, I think it's a load of bunkum, the traders in both places rely on tourism, so I don't really see it happening.
I will point out though that 'facilities' were few and far between in Bruges, and that we used to use the 'facilities' (which had to be paid for to the service person) by the restaurant on the top floor of the small department store in the town centre.
Belgian chocolate - nowadays you can buy that anywhere, and believe you me, the majority of so-called Belgian lace sold in the tourist shops is made outside of Europe. Why not try Ghent or Ypres and the immediate surrounding areas? Hire a car, just make sure you're not late getting back to the ship.
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2 hours ago, bobolz said:
Thanks Parsley for your comments of Olden . The ships price for the glacier tour with the troll car was $200 for a 3 hour tour that seemed ridiculously expensive. Not sure if we can pick up a tour when we arrive. From what I can see from pictures of that tour there is only a sliver of the glacier that is visible. If we are visiting geiranger, alesund and flam is it worth going on the briksdale glacier tour?
Had a reallly good dinner last night at the restaurant, the short ribs were some of the best we have had. In regards to the food, after 6 nights on board I would now say the food is good to very good. Although there are still few items that we could pass on, overall the food met expectations. Note: we have yet to eat at chefs table nor Manfredis, (I have heard positive reviews of both) . tonight will be the first night for manfredis. This is where Viking falls short for us ( Compared to Oceania); the variety of restaurants is limited . we really only have 2 restaurants we can choose from each night, one being a casual buffet(having similar menu as the restaurant ) and the main restaurant. I found it quite difficult to get to reserve more than 3 nights in the specialty restaurants.
So another day at sea, but arriving at 6 pm today In olden in which we will have an overnight.the boat was rocking yesterday afternoon and evening, but believe we have moved away from the rough seas finally. Looks like it will be quite warm tomorrow in Olden at 75degrees.
Peregrina I’ll have to look for the shore excursion pricing guide. I don’t remember seein it in our room.Also if you have a way of posting only my comments regarding the ship from the June 8th (post 129 and 130) roll call, great, if not , no worries. Ido not want to post the entire roll calls comments which looks like my attachment above does just that. Thanks again for your assistance.
The main question here is - do you want or need the troll car? We simply got used to hills by purposefully walking up and down hills at home (and we've got plenty) - but in the end for Briksdal we felt on the day that all the training wasn't really needed. Each of the ports you mention has a different 'emphasis' - Flam obviously has the railway (that's truly unmissable, especially if you get to enjoy the superb waffles and raspberry preserve at the top), and we felt that the Briksdal Glacier was absolutely worthwhile. The 'hill' is not straight uphill, the path is sort of alternating hill then less gradient. In Gerainger we found the best and simplest thing to do was to leave the ship and walk up to the top of the village and admire the views. Because of the topography it looks as though the ship is on a pond, as you can see no way out of the fjord from many places.
However, Briksdal was our first of many glaciers, (best of which was in Iceland, when we did a glacier expedition).
If you are heading out for Briksdal, normal trousers and top will suffice, but do take a lightweight waterproof jacket.
Have a great time.
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5 hours ago, New.2.cruise said:
Well we don't work, so I can't comment on that aspect, but I can say that whether you book onboard or onshore, do for goodness sake book another cruise.
No two cruises are ever the same - different weather, different folks; but having said that it's really worthwhile having the different experiences in the same places. We can ignore the different crew and different passengers, although the more you cruise (if you go with the same cruiseline) the more you'll get to know the regulars.
Seeing places at different times of the year can be entertaining, rewarding and interesting. Just book it.
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6 hours ago, Liz Masterson said:
Following along... sorry about The Faroe Islands... wondering what Olden, Norway is like... safe travels and I look forward to hearing more.
Olden itself doesn't really have much to offer. There's a 'tourist shop' right across the road from where you berth, and in our experience (having been there a couple of times) the best thing to do is to head for the Briksdal Glacier. It's a very pleasant journey and you may be able to visit a local botanical centre en route (where they do very interesting film talks and there is a nice shop too). At the Briksdal Glacier people have the choice of either walking up (which is what we have done) or using a buggy transport thing. Walking over the bridge halfway up means there may well be spray from the water which means you'll get a little damp, but a lightweight jacket sorts that out. You might see the mountain goats, and the glacier itself - where again there might be a kayaking opportunity. At the glacier you'll find those beautiful acqua coloured melt waters in the pool there, and pale pink granite gravel is the natural habitat.
At the bottom of the walk up/walk back down right by the car park is a building with a really great shop - and a truly great tea room too! I'd go back in a heartbeat - again and again. (Bye the way, the washroom facilities are really good too, in case you're wondering. Once you're out on the walk path there's no facilities).
Despite what some people say, it's not a steep walk, but then it's definitely not flat. Enjoy.
Don't forget, in Norway - when you purchase stuff, look for the special TAX sticker in the shop and ask for the special TAX/VAT receipt. Then you should be able to get your tax refund on the ship on the day of the departure from your last Norwegian port. Sometimes it's worthwhile. Also this can be done if you are flying home from Norway in the airport.
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1 minute ago, Peregrina651 said:
Well that's not going to happen. People love to talk about the tragedies of others and love to assign blame even if they are not fully in possession of the facts. It is like politics; the conversation will never end and no one will ever hear your side of the discussion. The only thing you can do is to walk away.
1 minute ago, Peregrina651 said:Well that's not going to happen. People love to talk about the tragedies of others and love to assign blame even if they are not fully in possession of the facts. It is like politics; the conversation will never end and no one will ever hear your side of the discussion. The only thing you can do is to walk away.
Cracking idea Gromit👍
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As I understand it, that is a boat, not a ship, I thought that this thread was regarding ships.
Anyway, as everyday life is a risk, and as we are all at risk from the moment we're born, shall we 'give it a rest'? Please?
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16 hours ago, Heidi13 said:
Sorry, but the Chief is totally correct and I also note that on the film I watched the fwd tug is secured by a line to the port bow. I was unable to determine if they used a ship's line or tug line.
I also read, similar to the Jupiter incident in Piraeus, the tug line parted. While I have never operated a tug, I am well aware it takes substantial skill to not part the line, but also have some affect in the vessel being controlled that is both moving at a reasonable speed and is substantially larger than the tug.
To prevent parting the line, the tug Master must apply power gradually, but as the Chief explained you must consider the vector diagram of the forces at play. The tug Master must also be cognisant of not girding and capsising his vessel.
Yes, the cruise ships pick up pilots before entering the breakwaters. However, while the pilot may have had the conduct, the Master remains in command & control.
Sorry, but I am going to steadfastly hold my current opinion. All I have seen about this incident is one photo, since I have absolutely no interest in the cruise line in question. None of us (to be the best of my knowledge) are in possession of the 'evidence' which obviously the Venetian authorities should now be dealing with. I do have a particular theory - and I am not going to publish it here.
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23 hours ago, chengkp75 said:
I don't want to hijack this thread to the MSC Opera incident, but anyone who thinks a tug boat can stop a cruise ship is sadly misinformed. The Opera weighs (displacement, not gross tonnage which is not weight) about 20-25,000 tons, and the most powerful tugs in the world can only generate 450 metric tons of pull, so even with two of the most powerful tugs, they would only have generated 900 tons of force to counteract 20-25,000 tons of momentum.
Whilst I don't support the hijacking of threads, I have to say you have sorely missed the point. A tug which is forward of the ship is hardly going to be able to stop it, is it? My point was - and still is - that the tug which was forward of the ship had it's tow line not in operation, and thus was unable to assist in 'steering' the ship away from the quayside.
I don't know if there was any other shipping in the close vicinity at the time, and I don't wish to know either - having seen the effects of locals behaving badly on the water in this area. At the end of the day the Opera was under the care and control of a pilot, surely?
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18 hours ago, gilboman said:
WRONG - Viking Riverboat captain charged because he was performing reckless unsafe overtaking maneuver while blind to river traffic before ramming into other boat
I most certainly did not want this discussion to become a war of words, but I would have thought that common sense alone would have meant that the smaller boat should have given way to the bigger boat, as the smaller boat would have had less power than the Viking boat, and therefore might not have had sufficient ability to outpace the Viking boat, and having either or both less speed and less power would have been more able to avoid a collision. It's all a shame anyway, and I wish it hadn't happened.
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18 hours ago, Jim Avery said:
Hey Parsley, at least the Venice crash is not Viking.....😳🍸
How right you are! Footage I've seen shows clearly that the Opera was using tugs, and that the tow line connect the forward tug was NOT is use (ie broken or disconnected). I suspect that as this line was non-operational, and as the ship was moving forward, that this was a big contributory factor.
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Ok, so my experience is that the majority of the passengers would be from North America. On my last cruise with VO there were a couple of Canadians, a couple of Australians and 4 British - the rest were American, and it was quite obvious.
We've made quite a few trips around and to Iceland. I haven't looked at your itinerary, but generally speaking only the very small ports (such as Isafjordur) will require the use of tenders. You might enjoy the experience of a proper glacier expedition. I'd always go for the ship's own excursions - that way you know that the ship can't leave port without you.
The beauty of Viking Ocean is simply that you don't have to waste time, effort (and packing space) on formal wear. The whole thing is more relaxed, and whilst you may well opt for outdoor wear for during the day and excursions, you can just go for smart casual of an evening.
Iceland in August - you won't really see the beauty of the snow and ice much, but the waterfalls should be ok and provide a good excursion experience.
Personally I wouldn't be bothered with the Blue Lagoon, but maybe a trip up Cold Valley (and Pingvellir en route) and maybe the Alafoss Mill (on the outskirts of Reykjavik on the way to Pingvellir) - that's a nice trip, but as I said, the true beauty of the snow an ice will be long gone by August.
It's our favourite country, hope you enjoy it.
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There are only 2 issues concerning Viking which I have heard about - one was the incident in the North Sea which was exacerbated due to bad weather conditions. That weather was down to mother nature; I feel sure that Viking would have got the ship safely (if slowly) back to port to get engine repairs done. If passengers are going to book a cruise in an area of the ocean which isn't exactly renowned for calm waters during winter, then they shouldn't really complain about rough seas etc.
The second issue I've heard of is this crash with the tour boat on a river - and I feel sure that the fault doesn't lie with the Viking river boat. Simply, the tour boat should have been more easily manoeuvrable than the Viking boat, and the tour boat should not have gone across the path of the Viking boat. If the tour boat felt the need to move closer to the shore, and thus a need to cross the path being followed by the Viking boat, it should have waited a couple of seconds and then moved across behind the Viking boat.
Oh well, whatever …….
Stateroom Coffee Table?
in Viking Ocean
Posted
Ok, to explain: if you order food which needs a knife and fork (fork in left hand and knife in right hand as per standard UK table etiquette) then just maybe a highest table might be needed, but for muesli, yoghurts, pancakes, waffles pastries etc one can cope quite elegantly by simply lifting the plate or dish; and so the table level doesn’t matter.
Cant you make it to a restaurant or Mamsens, where the waffles are great and remind us of Flam.