Baron Barracuda

Saw DSB a couple of times in Anthem music hall. Close your eyes and you think it's Steve Perry on stage. House bands have always been good as well.

Be careful. We booked PE through Viking Air for a cruise out of LA last year. A few months before sailing checked UAL web site and discovered they had changed planes and new one didn't offer PE. Without notifying us they moved us to middle seats in regular economy all the way in the rear of the plane. Switched to another flight and later same thing happened. Gave up and upgraded to business class knowing that's offered on every plane.

We were on the Star last month for the Grand Hawaii & Polynesian and dw did 7 kitchen tables including the long one where she went shopping with chef. They were the highlight of her cruise. I believe price was $69 for regular classes and $269 for the big one. Each had a different theme (Italian, French, Caribbean, Australian, etc). Attendance is limited to 12. Guest services would be happy to go over details with you.

Bear in mind that boarding for 11:25 flight closes at 11:10. Also some of the gates Delta uses at terminal C are a pretty long walk from check-in. If you're off the ship at 7:30, find your luggage right away, clear CPB without issue, locate your driver quickly and hit no traffic you could possibly be at the airport before 10am. A few drops of rain however can bring traffic to a standstill.

Up until a few months ago my large US online ta showed up to 7 available cabins per category. Then something changed and just for Viking sailings I can no longer see individual cabins. I now start with the Viking site and then call my Viking rep to go over availability

We sailed from San Pedro on the Star back on 11/10. Final cruise docs indicated berth 46 but port of LA website said 93. Someone on our roll call contacted Viking twice, even elevating call to a a supervisor who swore it was 46. As our Uber from LAX drove to the port there was the Star - - - at 93. A number of people went to 46 and unhappily had to double back. When we disembarked 33 days later on 12/10 it was also at 93.

I'm sure crew are very aware of how their peers are treated and compensated on other cruise lines so if they believe other lines provide better pay or working conditions they can literally jump ship and book their next contract with another line. If enough crew left Royal would have to improve compensation in order to stay in business. Sadly they would most likely just raise grat charges again.

Flew into LAX a day ahead of our Star sailing last month. Researched the two main San Pedro options but wasn't thrilled with mixed reviews on CC parent TripAdvisor. Ended up staying near LAX at Embassy Suites North and taking Uber to port the next morning. Airport hotels were cheaper with free airport shuttle and complimentary breakfast. Uber to port was around $55 including tip.

Average age on our 33 night Polynesia cruise earlier this month on Star was significantly older than prior sailing on same ship in the Caribbean. In our 60's we were among youngest aboard. Saw lots of walkers and walking sticks but only a couple of wheelchairs and no scooters. Had no issues with passenger attire in dining rooms. Did see one fellow in shorts get turned away. Had to tender twice and thought despite older crowd Viking handled process very efficiently.

IMO believe reinstating dividend at this time would be a poor use of cash. Priority #1, #2 and #3 needs to remain improving the balance sheet. Was very impressed with CCL's recent earnings report which showed they have reduced LTD 10% i($4.6B) in 2023. For RCL reducing leverage will lead to debt ratings upgrades and lower borrowing costs.

Believe you're expecting too much from the cruise line. They should have details on the itinerary but not necessarily the individual buses. X contracts with tour operators who might have dozens of buses. Some, but not all may have bathrooms. X can't know in advance which bus will be assigned to each excursion. Intended bus might be out of service or one of different size might be switched based on number of people booking tour.

dw used our $400 OBC from shortened Bora Bora visit to take 7 kitchen table cooking classes. Gladly paid out of pocket for the most expensive one, $259 for shopping on shore with chef Joseph in San Diego and later assisting him in cooking a 6 course gourmet dinner.

We were on the same sailing and concur. While the ribeye in Manfredi's was disappointing we enjoyed the strip steak in the Dining Room several times. Good cut of meat, always cooked right to our specifications.

Not a missed port but our recently completed Grand Polynesia on the Star originally called for two days in Bora Bora which pre-cruise Viking shortened to one day, replacing the other with a sea day. Because of this change they awarded everyone a $200 OBC. During the actual cruise however Viking announced that extra sea day was being replaced by a visit to Raiatea, a new to Viking port. Turned out to be a small, lovely island that unlike most of the other French Polynesian islands processed a real dock, so no tendering. Considered that a nice win.

You must rate. During our 33 days on Star next days menu was available on app and tv but never delivered to our cabin. While app listed next 7 days menus for Dining Room and World Cafe they often changed unexpectedly. Made it trickier to plan when to visit specialties.

Don't believe Manfredi's waiter intended to imply all American beef is inferior to European just that the current inventory received from an American distributor isn't as good as what they had been receiving in Europe. Hopefully Viking will demand better quality or switch distributors.

Also just off 33 days on the Star. While we found most food items (including burgers at the grill) delicious have to admit disappointment with both Manfredi's rib eyes. Ate there seven times and tried each once but found them thin and fatty. Waiter told us due to supply chain issues Viking had switched from European to inferior American beef. After that stuck with chicken parm and fish of the day (usually pollock or swordfish) which were all enjoyable. Osso Buco was served several times in the Dining Room. Aside from the rib eye my biggest gripe was the salt grinders which I could never get to work. Guess we're easier to please.

If you search there are bargains to be found on the premium lines. Need to ignore brochure price and check CC for offer codes. On our 33 night Viking sailing we met a number of folks who booked close-in for only $4,500k. That's under $150 per day and some received free air !!!!

AMEN!!! Just spent 33 wonderful days in Hawaii and Polynesia with Viking. It's not just all the inclusions they provide, it's their overall commitment to excellent service. Plenty of available loungers poolside, waiters eager to fetch you a drink, three seafood buffets featuring all the lobster tails you want. After 30 years with X Viking is now our favorite cruise line.

Since 2020 Royal and X have each added 3 new ships. While the new vessels are presumably cash flow positive debt level would be much more manageable without them.

Just off 33 days on the Star, dined at Chef's Table seven times and saw guests receiving off-menu selections. EVERY waiter at EVERY venue asked about food allergies when taking our order. We have none but appreciate how they are obviously trained to inquire.

Ours provides us with a post cruise "loyalty credit" rather than OBC. Definitely prefer the cash back.

Royal Caribbean has all their ships using Starlink with reportedly good connectivity. They have thousands of passengers per ship while VO only has hundreds, so why does Viking have a capacity issue, is it hardware or software?

We're currently on our 20th sea day as we near the end of the 33 day Grand Polynesian. As we head back from Tahiti to LA internet has been spotty, even at 4am when dw starts her day. Haven't had live tv (yeah, different satellites) for several days. If Viking plans to charge for higher internet usage they need to deliver a more reliable product.