molymoo

Room service?

You are absolutely right! Robes are indeed provided in the locker rooms, however we have often found that no lockers are available which makes it difficult to change into bathing attire. After experiencing this several times we now just put on our suits, don a robe and head to the spa via the forward elevators which are located directly in front of the spa on deck 1.

I'm guessing this keeps coming up as the "enforcement" of said policy is not consistent. We hear/read about guests being asked to change out of their jeans before being admitted to the restaurant or one of the alternative dining venues but have (in 10+ VO cruises) never seen it happen and on every cruise individuals in jeans are seated without question. I don't care what anyone wears to dinner but do adhere to the dress code.

I would beg to differ here ... we routinely wear the robes when we are heading to the spa ... either to enjoy the thermal suite or have a service scheduled. We have often found that all of the lockers are full, making changing difficult. We take the elevators in the front of the ship and they open right in front of the spa. Have never ventured into "public places" in a robe but believe it is perfectly acceptable to and from the spa.

We are back from our Iconic Iceland, Greenland and Canada cruise. The laundry is done and it’s time for a quick “review”. We were on Mars and unfortunately missed the Greenland stops because of ice. We knew going in that this was a distinct possibility, so we weren’t surprised. The captain tried to get us to an alternate port (Paamiut) but even there the ice was just too much. Frankly I was thrilled just to see the icebergs (small ones; “growlers” they call them) and there was a brief whale siting, so I was perfectly content, even not having set foot on land. Mars was a lovely ship and the crew was amazing. Viking crews are always fabulous, but this crew seemed to take things to another level. So friendly, so patient, and so accommodating. Honestly there was absolutely nothing to complain about at any point in the cruise. That said, however, this was probably the rudest group of passengers we have encountered on any of our (21) Viking cruises! Don’t get me wrong … most of the passengers were great, but the relatively few who weren’t were so obnoxious as to really stand out. Most of the rudeness was directed at the crew in the form of complaints, demands, and snapping of fingers, etc. but some bordered on aggression and what I would consider to be bordering on threatening behavior. We thought perhaps it was us but in conversations with other passengers we found that others had the same observations. Food is always a subjective topic but we found it to be very good. I enjoyed some meals more than others but was never disappointed. We had a tour of the galley and after seeing how much work and planning goes into preparing each meal I wonder at their ability to do as well as they do. We had a last minute upgrade in our cabin and ended up in a PJS on the 7th deck. We were there once before (another upgrade) and really like the location. Our stewards were hard working, efficient and friendly. Not a day went by when we didn’t enjoy a chat with them as we came and went. All in all we had a great time. The itinerary was awesome and we loved seeing the Iceland outside of Reykjavik. It was beautiful and we really lucked out with the weather!

We have had only one guarantee cabin and got our assignment about a week before we boarded. We did not get an upgrade but it was the first leg of a world cruise so I imagine any upgrades went to those doing the WC. We have had three ocean and one river upgrade in the years we have been sailing with Viking. One was a surprise when we checked in but the others we got notification about a week out from our departure.

We always book a PV (usually on deck 4)... it has tons of storage so it is easy to keep tidy (we are almost always complimented by our room stewards who really appreciate an uncluttered room). Unlike (apparently) everybody else we do spend time in our room. Nothing is quite as delightful as an afternoon nap on a sea day, or having an early room service breakfast, catching a movie after dinner when you're too tired to socialize, or just sitting and enjoying the nights entertainment on our bed, in your pajamas! We have had three complementary upgrades to PJS cabins and they are truly delightful ... just not worth the extra $$$ when booking.

Food is a VERY subjective subject. You will find that while you may find the food lacking others might well love it. We have been on 20 Viking cruises (river and ocean) and find the food can vary and some meals are better than others but we have never been disappointed.

We will be leaving in about a month for the Iconic Iceland, Greenland, and Canada cruise. As the time approaches, I am thinking about going to the bank and getting some “local” currency for tipping and small incidentals along the way. I’m not sure how to proceed so thought I might seek the wisdom of others who have “been there, done that”. We will have two stops in Greenland. The currency is Danish Krona, which is easy enough to get through the bank, however after reading the descriptions of the three excursions we have scheduled it appears that two are “self-guided” and the third is a visit to the fur house. Will tips even be needed? What about small purchases from locals who apparently set up tables and sell handiwork when tourists are in town? I have no problem getting Krone for the stop but will have no use for it anywhere else along the way so don’t want to have a lot “left over”. Also have to keep in mind that these are ports that might easily be “missed” completely due to weather conditions. In Iceland there will be several stops. I plan to have Icelandic Krone but wonder how much might be needed. I have heard many times that Iceland is not a place where tipping is the norm and they are not expected. Does or has anyone tipped their tour guides while in Iceland? How about drivers? Finally, what to do about Canada. We will (potentially) have two stops there and have no issue with getting some Canadian dollars but do remember a time when Canadians loved getting US dollars. This was when I was a kid travelling with my parents so it is actually ancient history but wonder how to approach this one. Any wisdom and/or advice is appreciated!

I so hope it will be an enjoyable visit! I have to believe it will be … they are very proud of their special little museum so can’t imagine they wouldn’t pull out all of the stops to do a great job!

You are so right! We have seen some truly abhorrent behavior toward the crew. Fortunately most passengers behave well and are respectful of the crew and their fellow passengers.

A, I'm so excited to being able to "tag along" on your journey! This was my favorite itinerary ... so much so we did it twice! Loved every port and would do it all again in a heartbeat! Guess I truly am an anglophile!

Thanks for the info. I'm sure we will be fine as the first significant change in excursions would likely be day 12 of the cruise ... that's when we get to Iceland.

I am trying to decide the best way to handle an excursion issue for our upcoming Iconic Iceland, Greenland and Canada cruise (June 22). We have booked our excursions and many of them were quite pricey. In fact, it is the most we have ever spent on excursions on more than 20 Viking cruises. There has been a pretty significant change in my physical status since the booking of these excursions and I will absolutely need to reassess the choices made and cancel ones selected and either go with the included or opt to simply stay on board at some stops. I could cancel and/or change now and a refund will go to our credit card, or I could wait until onboard. Waiting until onboard would give me an opportunity to, perhaps meet with someone in charge of shore excursions who could answer specific questions which might make the process more informed. Has anyone had any experience “adjusting” their excursions onboard. Are they generally open to meeting with passengers about specific questions. I am imagining they would be perfectly fine meeting with me but I have never needed to meet with any crew members before so not sure as to protocols. Our first full day is a sea day and the first stop is Nova Scotia and it seems as though that excursion would be okay so I would have the requisite 48 hours to make changes without monetary loss. Any wisdom on this issue?

Sorry A, having trouble finding email ... probably need a site tutorial as I have not posted much recently. We will be leaving from NYC on June 22 and heading for Reykjavik. Would be fun to meet your sister should it be possible. Thanks for the information and the pics! E