molymoo

We have done the BIE twice ... once starting in London and the last we started in Bergen. No difference really. We enjoyed both and did extensions on front and back both times. On our first BIE (2018) Liverpool was not on the itinerary ("operational issues" we went to Glasgow instead) and we were not able to go into Ullapool due to weather. On the second (2022) we missed Orkney (Kirkwall) again because of weather. On our last trip we anchored in Dun Laoghaire for the Dublin stop. Viking had a shuttle that went back and forth all day between the ship and Merrion Square in town. We did the walking tour on our first trip and stayed in town beyond the tour and enjoyed some fish and chips and a Guinness (a Dublin requirement). The second trip we took the shuttle into town and did our own thing ... a visit to "The Little Museum of Dublin" (fabulous!) and Oysters and a Guinness (required) at Matt the Thresher. It was a lovely day! It is a wonderful cruise and I dare say I might be tempted to go again!

I have not lived in nor travelled extensively in Spain but I have spent equal time in both Madrid and Barcelona and would return to Madrid in a heartbeat ... even for a short trip it is a wonderful city and an awesome experience. Barcelona was fun and we enjoyed our time there but have NO desire to return. Not being a Gaudi fan (I know ... I'm in the minority) Barcelona got tiring after a short time and we headed to Montseratt to get a change of scenery. LOVED every minute in Madrid!!

Not sure I understand this response. Apparently you have some issues with Viking in general ... "every egregious" policy seems to indicate that the problems go well beyond their "pay in full by" one. I am a loyal Viking cruiser (21 and counting) and understand why some might not like their payment schedule policy, but understand that this is the way it is and if I wasn't okay with it I would take my business elsewhere. I am not "defending" this policy ... it's just not an issue for me. We pay in full when we book ... that works for us and so the payment schedule isn't an issue. It's as simple as that.

1. I have researched "change my flight" several times and there has always been an additional charge ... sometimes fairly nominal but always a charge. There may be some other options for you but it will largely depend on the contracts that Viking has with the various carriers. This confounds things considerably. 2. We have upgraded to premium economy "after the fact" a few times through Viking and again it all depends on the carriers they have contracts with and whether those contracts include premium economy. I would guess (and it's only a guess) that "business class" on Eurowings would not be considered "premium economy". 3. We have left in the "wee hours" many times and really don't hate it. We are fortunate to live in the Chicago area so it generally means that we get home (as in our last stop) at a reasonable time. On our last trip we left our hotel in Amsterdam at 3:00 AM (we were on an extension) which was not fun, but got home to Chicago at 1:30 in the afternoon! Nice to drive home in daylight! At any rate you will get a "bag or box breakfast" to go ... or you can order room service if you are on an ocean ship and want to eat before you leave the ship. They also sometimes have a continental breakfast set up in the living room (on the ocean ships) as, trust me, you will not be alone when you leave early. Sounds like your best bet is to call Viking Air and have a discussion. Might cost you for Air + but might be worth it as you may have more choices.

Leon was removed from our December FLL to LA Panama cruise and all I thought was "good riddance" ... not a place I was anxious to spend time in and was happy to have another sea day! The Panama Canal cruises have lots of sea days ... if you don't like them probably best to reconsider the itinerary.

There will usually be an "uptick" in the lecture schedule as well. On our Panama Canal cruise last year we had 10 sea days and there were multiple lectures sea days ... there was a "resident" historian, naturalist, botanist, and gentleman who regaled us with interesting and entertaining stories that pertained to our itinerary. They also had craft groups, bridge, and baggo tournaments. There is also the spa, which remarkably wasn't ever crowded, and of course the pools ... both were open and accessible. We enjoyed the lectures and usually a nap in the afternoon!

I'm sorry but this brings out my sarcastic nature (and I really do try to keep it under contro!l). Really, a YouTube video?!? That's really a reliable source of information! (sarcasm) And I'm sure that if the individual(s) making said video(s) say they are or were Viking employee(s), it's the absolute truth!! (sarcasm, again).

We have had several versions of Viking vouchers and the "conditions" have always been spelled out pretty clearly. We have never had any issues using them when we used them as outlined in those conditions. We are now working with Viking "voucher free" and glad of it but can't say dealing with them was particularly onerous nor did we ever feel that any entity was trying to "take advantage" of us.

Not sure it will be a "short experiment" as the pea soup has been on the menu in the late evenings for as long as I remember. It is delicious and wish that I was able to stay awake more often to enjoy it!

Sometimes it is a little "trickier"! Remember watching for "just the right moment" for a jump into the tender as the seas rocked the small boat up and down. All good fun, though, and the crew are wonderfully helpful!

Interesting!

We did this itinerary in December. We did the "Taste of Mexico" in Cozumel, the "Coffee, Cooking Lesson and Street Food" in Cartegena, the "Embera Indian Village Visit" in Colon, the "Monteverde Cloud Forest and Aerial Tram" in Puntarenas, and "Lands End & Whale Watching" in Cabo. Our ship skipped Leon as there were apparently still some COVID restrictions in place. We enjoyed all of the excursions but our two favorites were in Cartegena and Cabo.

Give them a call and they can clear things up. Having Air Plus gives you access to an agent to discuss flights with and my experience (of late) has been that they will try their best to accommodate your wishes but often it is not something they can do within the constraints of their contracts with the airlines. I have spent hours recently working with them on flights for our next few cruises and, although they were not able to put me on the flights I wanted, in one case their flights were actually MUCH better than anything I had researched. In two cases I am opting to book my own but that is not typical as we are two females travelling "alone" there are some instances where we prefer to have the Viking transfer (eg: Egypt).

Bring your own!

FWIW ... we were given an upgrade on our first ocean cruise and were placed in 7008. LOVED the location!!! It is quiet and has an almost "exclusive" feel to it! It's a short walk to the Explorer's Lounge and just a quick walk to the WC for breakfast in the mornings. The only downsides would be the fact that at the higher levels rough seas are rougher and there is no laundry room on that floor. It's easy enough to go down to use the ones on 6, 5, 4, or 3, but not as convenient as having one right there.

Do bear in mind that if you book an independent tour read the contract carefully regarding last minute cancellations. We have done the BIE twice and hit some of the same ports on our Midnight Sun cruise and every time we missed at least one port. Orkney (Kirkwall), the Shetlands (Lerwick) and Ullapool are all subject to weather related issues that can make docking impossible. On our last cruise we missed Kirkwall after about a half an hour of the crew trying valiantly to tie up at the dock. The wind was ferocious and apparently the harbor master eventually called it and we had an unscheduled sea day. We watched their attempts from our stateroom and it was disheartening to see all the busses and vans lined up waiting to take us on our excursions. I'm fairly certain that it is a situation they are accustomed to and a refund would be offered but always a good idea to check.

If you want a treatment on a specific day (like a sea day) or prefer a specific time (morning, for instance) you will probably want to book ahead of time in MVJ. Sea days tend to book up quickly as do afternoons in short stay ports. Bookings are easy to get onboard on days when you are in port ... especially an "all day" port.

We have done this itinerary twice and had some "common" ports on other cruises (Into the Midnight Sun). Weather does, indeed, often affect the ability to dock in the Orkney and Shetland Islands but we missed Ullapool once for weather as well.

We had a wonderful dinner at Engebret Cafe in Oslo. It is one of (if not the) oldest restaurants in Oslo and serves traditional Norwegian fare. It isn't "cheap" but really didn't feel like it was outrageously pricey and the service was great. Depending on the weather they have a lovely outdoor seating area and it is a very reasonable walking distance from the Thon Opera where Viking hosts many of their extension guests. When we were in Bergen we thoroughly enjoyed a food and culture tour that featured the fish market and a number of other stops where we enjoyed lots of wonderful Norwegian food; traditional and modern. I don't think the company we used is still doing tours but TripAdvisor describes one that sounds very familiar. Also in Bergen, Trekroneren has wonderful sausages that are worth a try. The reindeer is a favorite and is served with lingonberry relish and crispy fried onions. It's delicious and can be easily split as it is quite large. It is a walk up so you may have to eat standing up but it's worth it. They are right off the Bryggen just a few doors past the McDonalds ... which is one of the cutest McDonalds I've ever seen! Never been inside but the outside is adorable. Have a wonderful trip! Oslo is beautiful and Bergen charming. The train ride is wonderful as well!

FWIW ... although we loved the two times we were on the "top" deck in 8000 (thanks Viking for the upgrades!) it really isn't the "top" deck. The "sports deck" is above you and last trip we were right below the bowling area and heard the type of noise you might expect. There were some active groups onboard and there were several sea days. That said, it was mostly during the daytime and didn't really bother us ... once we figured out what it was!

We always book a PV cabin and based on our experience (twice on the British Isles itinerary) the chances are good that you will be able to book the excursions you want. No guarantees, but I would say the chances are good. Even after you book, watch the site (MVJ) as they will sometimes add excursions after the booking windows have "come and gone". As far as independent excursions go that would be something to "discuss" with the vendor when you book. Some will certainly refund any monies paid if a port is cancelled ... but I am guessing some will not.

While there are companies that will insure cruises that are paid (partially or totally) with vouchers be aware that many do not insure vouchers for which you have made no outlay in cash. In other words if you are issued a voucher as a good will gesture for missed ports (we had one on our last cruise) it will not be covered under many/most plans. Read the fine print!

Vouchers absolutely have different rules! The OP states that the vouchers she was given were for "a change in itinerary" ... in other words it was issued to compensate for passengers 'not getting what we paid for", not a refund for a cancelled trip. Entirely different animal. We have been given and used vouchers several times for several reasons and the "rules" regarding their use have always been clearly stated in the issuance communication. For example, we recently cancelled a cruise and under our "Risk Free" conditions of the booking we were given vouchers equivalent to all monies paid to Viking that we could apply to any new booking in the next 24 months. The communication that included the voucher number included the following: *This voucher can be used on any new Viking cruise and will be applied at booking. This voucher is transferable, cannot be used as payment for a Travel Protection Plan, and the voucher must be redeemed by the expiration date prior to final payment. Once redeemed, it cannot be re-issued or used towards another cruise, and any unused balance of the voucher is lost and has no cash value. Pretty clear. The OP was never going to get a refund ... the voucher she had was essentially a "good will gesture for her "inconvenience". Seems to be there is nothing to escalate.

Perhaps "shame on that agent" but we all know that the "agents" people speak of are simply the poor soul who happens to get the call, not someone necessarily well versed in the "ins and outs" of the "vouchers game". Additionally, during "COVID times' the rules of the vouchers that were being given to those cancelling or being cancelled changed frequently and I'm not sure anyone would necessarily know the stipulations attached to anyone's particular circumstances. All too often people do not "read the fine print" and make themselves aware of the conditions of their vouchers and assume that "one size fits all" ... it doesn't and as consumers it is up to us to protect ourselves as best we can and not rely on the "agent" to look out for us.

Really?!? Seems like a serious overaction to this relatively isolated incident (not that you're alone in this) ... perhaps you were going to have to cancel anyway ?