molymoo

It always amazes me how some topics here inevitably bring out the "snark" ... tipping, dress codes, and now the SSBP.  Why does it matter to ANYONE what others choose to do with regards to buying or not buying the SSBP?  Why the judgement ( "heavy drinkers")?  As long as everyone behaves themselves; why does anyone care?  We often purchase the package for our own reasons and don't really care if we "break even".  Is that a problem for anyone?  Just an FYI ... if you have the SSBP and participate in an onboard wine tasting, martini tasting, or one time we did an Armagnac tasting in Torshavn ... you get a significant discount on the cost.  

Most of the time this area is pretty empty.  Tea time brings out the "crowds".  During the pre-COVID (ie: full passenger load) time it could get very busy ... especially on sea days.  We had trouble finding seating several times and learned to get there early.  On the one cruise we have done since COVID we had little difficulty with seating, although it still was quite busy.

We're past a booking window for a British Isles cruise in July.  There have been no adjustments to this itinerary and explorer suites should be booking now but no excursions have been posted.  We still have a couple of weeks before our window opens but it may well be another situation where it's every man for himself.  Guess they are still dealing with "post-covid" issues.

For the most part anyone can board the ship at 11:00 AM.  Access to your cabin will depend on your cabin category.  Generally all cabins are accessible by 3:00 PM.  Things may be different now (post-covid).  Someone who has sailed recently can probably address the particulars.

I have a question for those who have cruised with Viking recently.  Have shore excursions been available for perusal in time for advertised selection windows?  For example OS – 107 days prior to departure. ES- 97 days, PJS- 87 days, etc.  Is Viking sticking with the cabin level priority once selections can be made? 

Our last cruise with Viking was last summer (one of the Welcome Back itineraries) and at that time (understandably) shore excursions were late being posted and by the time they were up and ready there did not seem to be any adherence to cabin priority levels.  It seemed as though it was “every man for himself”.  All worked out and we had a wonderful time but wonder if things have gotten back to what we might consider more “normal”. 

We have a cruise booked for July and no shore excursions have been posted … we are still 107 days out but that means only 30 days before our 77 day window supposedly opens.  Just wondering what to expect.

On 2/17/2022 at 2:19 PM, JeriGail said:

I researched my flights, found the ones I wanted, and forwarded them to my TA, and then she called Viking and got my flights.  I was probably lucky too, but I had no issues getting my flights and upgrading my international flight to economy plus on the airline's site (no PE on that flight).

That has been our experience.  No TA but generally can upgrade to economy plus directly with the airline.  Yesterday I booked our flights for our December 2022 Panama cruise.  We selected flights but they upgrades were not available as they are both domestic flights (FLL/LAX).  Booked flights with United and five minutes after hanging up took the confirmation number and upgraded the seats on the United site ... easy peasy!  Our experience has been that United will allow seat selections and upgrades before the trip is formally ticketed ... even international flights.

I understand your concern because my daughter and I are truly "what if" people and often go down that "rabbit hole".  We actually consider and map out our escape routes early in each cruise so we are prepared for: fire, rough seas (REALLY rough), a random shooter, hitting an iceberg (a la Titanic), and of course now; COVID. 

I honestly don't remember the specific questions on the health declaration (we took a Bermuda cruise in July) but I imagine it has changed ten times over since then.  I can only recommend that you take a deep breath, isolate to a reasonable level, and trust that things will be okay.  

Manicures and pedicures are booked onboard.  We have had them done a few times and had no trouble getting an appointment,

We always book the PV and have been upgraded (no charge) twice to PJS by Viking.  The Suite is lovely ... the bathroom is larger and laundry is complimentary but worth and extra $2000 per person, no.  The PV is lovely with plenty of space for storage and relaxing.  We were upgraded on our first ocean cruise and when we left for our second without an upgrade we wondered if we would be spoiled ... nope!  The PV was great!!!

On 2/14/2022 at 7:22 PM, Peregrina651 said:

 

The idea here is to get your questions in front of the biggest possible audience. To do that, you should be asking your questions in a new thread in the Viking forum where everyone can see it. A lot of your questions -- dining, entertainment --  have already been answered and 'searching' the Viking forum may turn up some of those answers. 

Additionally, there is a roll call for this cruise and although there hasn't been a lot of activity yet I imagine things will pick up as the date draws close.  We will be on this cruise and it will be our second BI trip with Viking.  We did Greenwich to Bergen in 2018 and obviously loved it enough to do it again.  Happy to answer any questions, but Peregrina is right ... start a new thread or visit the roll call.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2774036-british-isles-explorer-july-1-2022/page/2/#comment-62662468

12 hours ago, Peregrina651 said:

 

The difference being that free upgrades aren't 'offered' they just happen.  You may get an email telling you have been upgraded or you may arrive at the dock to be surprised but you won't get an email asking if you want a free upgrade. That would just jam the switchboard.  

 

 

True enough!  We have been on many Viking cruises and have received two free upgrades on ocean cruises.  We always book PV but were upgraded to PJS twice.  On both occasions we received an email informing us of the upgrade about a week from our departure.  It's a nice surprise !

I'm always a bit skeptical when someone says "I read", or "I heard" ... and especially when they claim that a "Viking agent told me ...".  All too often that "Viking agent" is a low ranking individual working from home or a small remote office.  I had occasion to call for some general stuff twice in one day; the first call was answered by someone in Arizona and the second by someone in Boston.  They know their job, which is booking but anything else is a "best guess".  If you want real information use tellus@vikingcruises.com.  FWIW ... Viking's site specifies that room service is available 24 hours a day so unless they change that or insert a caveat, I would assume that you can order room service 24 hours a day.

11 hours ago, austinetc said:

That's surprising. It's usually 24-hours. I don't mean to be critical of VIking too much, but their sales staff and corporate personnel don't always have accurate shipboard information. I'd pose the question to people who are crusing now.

Check your invoice … the one sent via email right after you book.  The last page will have a detailed itinerary which includes each port, times in and out, and, on the far right an anchor (red) will indicate that it is a tender port.  There are several on our July BI cruise but as I recall (this is a repeat cruise for us) none were particularly troublesome.  

9 hours ago, takemewithyou said:

Yup.  All overseas agents that I have been dealing with

We just booked our flights for the summer and there was absolutely no doubt that I was talking to a (delightful and knowledgeable) lady from the Bronx!  Last time I checked that was not overseas!  Just sayin’!

18 hours ago, Mrs Miggins said:

On all things nautical I defer to all the experts on this Viking board.  For all things Greenwich - we have just sold our lovely second home there - you must defer to me !

Have to agree with Mrs. Miggins!  Greenwich is absolutely lovely and it would be a shame to miss it.  London is a wonderful (and one of my favorites) city but we will always opt to stay in the Greenwich area as we have made many trips to London.  We spent time there during two Viking trips and will choose to stay there for our third in July.  The walk up to the observatory is lovely and the observatory itself is fascinating!  The market is great fun and we often seek an out of the way pub for a bit of refreshment before we return to the ship ... for dinner! 😀

We’ll it’s good to hear that things are lightening up!  As this change was only put into effect as of yesterday (2/12 ), I’m sure Viking will update their information on MVJ soon!  

4 hours ago, uktog said:

There are currently NO requirements to have a test ahead of entering Norway. Are you sure it’s not an airline requirement?

This was effective January 25, 2022

TO TRAVEL WITH VIKING:  1. Valid Passport (must be valid for 6 months beyond your planned trip dates).  2. Proof of up-to-date COVID-19 immunization (final dose received at least 14 days prior to departure, including booster dose— if eligible) certified by VeriFLY with FDA/WHO/EMA Approved Vaccine, including Moderna (SpikeVax), Pfizer-BioNTech (Comirnaty), Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), AstraZeneca/Oxford (Vaxzevria) Note: Booster requirement is effective for departures beginning February 1, 2022) 3. Proof of negative COVID-19 Test – with a laboratory-certified proof of negative result. - PCR test taken within 72 hours of boarding first outbound flight from home country, or  - Antigen test taken within 24 hours of boarding first outbound flight from home country - Viking will accept select at-home COVID-19 tests.  Note: If you are transiting through Germany on your way to Norway, you must get a COVID-19 test 48 hours prior to departure. This requirement will meet Viking’s requirement. No additional test is required to meet Viking’s requirements. 4. Cruise Documents/Journey Summary/E-Documents   

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS TO TRAVEL TO NORWAY:  1. US, CAN, AU, NZ Guests: PCR or antigen test completed a maximum of 24 hours before arrival in Norway. There is no need for an additional test to fulfill Viking’s testing requirements. UK Guests: Digital NHS COVID Pass. Please note that you will have to meet Viking’s testing requirements listed above.  All guests: must take a COVID-19 test on arrival or within 24 hours of arrival in Norway. - If you are embarking in Norway, this test will be taken on board. - If you are booked on a pre-cruise extension, this test will be administered at your hotel.  - If you are traveling independently and ahead of your cruise, you will need to make testing arrangements to comply with Norway’s testing entry requirements. 2. Registration of Arrival to Norway form, completed a maximum of 72 hours before arrival in Norway, found here.  

16 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Speaking of testing, someone asked on a dfferent forum relative to these emed home antigen tests that are proctored. Apparently the website says they are good for cruises originating in the US, but what about foreign-based cruises?  I assume that on MVJ passengers are informed well ahead of time of all that needs to be done. 

If you go to MVJ and scroll to the "Before You Go" section, under "Pre-Cruise Embarkation Requirements" you will find specific instructions for your cruise,  This information includes requirements for boarding the Viking ship and instructions specific to the country you will be embarking from.  They even spell out how things will be handled in the event you are doing a pre-extension.  In our case entering Norway requires a test no more than 24 hours prior to arrival in Norway ... that means we will have to get to the airport early to get a test there before we board.  We also have to take another test "on arrival or within 24 hours of arrival".  If you are embarking right away you will get this test onboard the ship, if you have an extension it will be done at the hotel.  If you are doing your own pre-boarding extension you are on your own to acquire this test.  It is pretty clear and I can already plan how to meet all of the current requirements ... of course our trip isn't until July so I imagine things will be quite different then.  

Not sure how it is now but pre-COVID you could book another cruise while onboard and (it varied but generally ... ) get an additional discount (not a ton but a couple of hundred), an OBC for the cruise you are currently sailing, and at one time the final payment was due six months pre-cruise (a substantial decrease from Viking's usual final payment date).  We booked a few while onboard but we only "waited" if the time for the cruise was close.  If we had a particular cruise with a particular cabin in mind and it was a popular one we just booked from home.  We generally didn't find the "perks" worth waiting and risking getting first choice of itinerary and accommodations.  The six month final pay is an attractive offer (if they still offer it) but as we pay in full up front when we book this was not an enticement for us.

Yes, you can transfer the booking to your TA after you book onboard ... there is a time limit but you can do it.  You'll love Viking Homelands!  

On 2/8/2022 at 9:53 AM, lackcreativity said:

To get a half hamburger at the Pool Grill you do need a companion willing to share. Lucky for me, my husband is willing to do so, even if he has a tendency to be a little uneven in cutting it in "half".  Soo good!  😊

My daughter and I love the Pool Grill and always split the burgers!  We tell them that we are splitting it and they present us with two equal halves on two separate  plates with french fries and whatever accompaniments come with the selection.  It's nice that we don't have to cut it ourselves (always a messy proposition!) and we don't have to share the fries or cole slaw (which are almost as good as the burgers, by the way!  We always split waffles at Mamsen's too!  

FWIW ... we have done 18 cruises with Viking (river and ocean) and have always used their transfers.  We waited for an hour once in Budapest after arriving on a very early morning flight.  Otherwise our waits have been minimal ... we even got a ride to a Paris hotel (a pre-extension) in a Mercedes Limo all to ourselves with a very handsome driver who narrated the route the entire way!

On one of the "welcome back" cruises this last summer someone arranged a "get together" of about 30+ from a FB group and there was quite a backlash.  It did seem ill advised, especially when one of the group ended up ultmately being removed from the ship with a positive case of COVID.  May well be why Viking is a little firmer now about discouraging these get togethers.

If you iron the tag then do a quick pull it generally will come off without too much difficulty.  Frankly, I like the tags!  I see it when I am folding clothes and fondly remember the cabin and the cruise.  

I will "second" the responses from Peregrina and WestW with a hearty recommendation to "go for it"!  We did the Bermuda cruise in the summer and my only complaint was that it was TOO SHORT!!  We had a wonderful time, made a "game" out of the daily spit-fest (we found reviewing the day's menus helped!) and the masks were really no big deal.  It was wonderful getting out and as a fellow cancer survivor I am a firm believer that every day counts and life is short ... get out and enjoy!

15 hours ago, CCWineLover said:

Plus you had to get a crick in the neck from angling it upwards.  We absolutely froze to death, as did everyone else.  The shows were not well done, and truthfully not that interesting.  Nearly everyone we spoke to on Jupiter and Orion felt the same way.   We didn't even bother to go back this summer on Orion - why waste the time - it was the same old shows even.  I think Viking has given up on this concept for the future ships.

Same experience here!  We went to one show on the Jupiter a few years ago and, although the show itself was “okay”, there are very few seats offering a comfortable view.  We were so uncomfortable we really wanted to leave but of course that would have disturbed everyone else.  We hunkered down until the end and didn’t go back.  Nice idea, but not a great execution!